Lesley Allyn DeMaio Duffy, 41, formerly of Barrington

Posted 8/14/18

Lesley Allyn DeMaio Duffy, 41, passed away in Chicago, Ill. on Sunday, July 15, 2018 after living nearly three years with cancer. She leaves her husband of 6 years, Chris Duffy, and their two young …

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Lesley Allyn DeMaio Duffy, 41, formerly of Barrington

Posted

Lesley Allyn DeMaio Duffy, 41, passed away in Chicago, Ill. on Sunday, July 15, 2018 after living nearly three years with cancer. She leaves her husband of 6 years, Chris Duffy, and their two young children Lachlan Duffy, 4, and Camden Duffy, 2.  

Lesley was born in Princeton, NJ and raised in Barrington. She found happiness and humor first with her family, then through friends and sports. A gifted athlete, she excelled at many sports, but being part of a team gave her the greatest joy. Her high school teams in basketball and soccer succeeded at the state championship level, and close bonds to her teammates and schoolmates remained throughout her life.

From Barrington High School she went to Babson College where she discovered new friends, new teams, and a fascination with the digital world, which gave her a career she loved as an adult. To complete her education, fifteen years later she earned an MBA from DePaul University.

After college she took on the world with passion. She began her career in Boston, followed by London and Chicago, all the while exploring new places and meeting new people. She delighted in her Italian heritage, loving everything Italian, and eventually gained Italian citizenship through her great-grandfather who was born in Italy.

In Chicago, a city she loved, Lesley found the love of her life. She and Chris married in 2012 and made Chicago their home.

Lesley had an extraordinary number of friends because she was an extraordinary friend. She brought people together from her many circles and wove a tapestry of lives and relationships that led to new friendships, new jobs, and even marriages. Her ability to reset the social dullness of a moment with a quirky one-liner made her a legend everywhere she went.

Lesley loved life. Her genuineness, positive spirit, candid humor, and abiding love for family and friends were never broken, even by her 33-month-long battle with cancer, and they will live on in everyone touched by her as a reminder of what is truly important.

In addition to her husband and two children, she leaves behind her father and mother, Don and Barbara DeMaio of Sarasota, Fla., sister Hillary DeMaio Sylvia of Padanaram, Mass., brother Jordan DeMaio of Rome, Italy, members of the Duffy, Block, Sylvia, and Boni families and countless broken-hearted friends.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of Lesley to support The Lesley DeMaio Duffy Lung Cancer Fund:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

10 Brookline Place, 6th Floor

Boston, MA 02245

or via www.dana-farber.org/gift

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