- Date Of Birth: February 3, 1920
- Date Of Death: October 19, 2011
- State: Alabama
Wattie Thurston Cole Duff, age 91, formerly of New Orleans, LA, passed away on October 19, 2011. She was born in Birmingham, Al., in 1920 and was one of three children. In 1939, she earned her BA from Fisk Univ., in Nashville, Tn. and earned her MA from Northwestern Univ., in Evanston, Il., in 1946. She was a member of Pi Lambda Theta National Honor Society and past president (1941) of the Birmingham Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. From 1946-48, she was an Asst. Professor of Education, at Talladega College and held the same position at Miles College from 1948-1953. She moved to New Orleans, La., in 1954, and became an active member of Berean Presbyterian Church, in 1956. For many years, she served the church in roles such as, Elder, Clerk of Session, President of the Women of the Church and Church Treasurer. She taught in the New Orleans Public School System for 26 years, was named Teacher-Of-The-Year in 1980 and New Orleans Magazine featured her in an article the same year. In 1981, she became Asst. Professor of Education at Our Lady of Holy Cross College, in New Orleans, where she remained until she retired in 2000. When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, she moved back to Birmingham, Al., with her daughter and son-in-law. She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Wattie T. and Beatrice Cole; her husband, Dr. John T. Duff, Sr; her son, Dr. Robert Nelson Duff; daughter-in-law, Mary Williams Duff; and brother, Dr. Ransey G. Cole. Loving memories will linger with her daughter, Beatrice (Donald) Duff Washington; step-son, John T. Duff, Jr. (Chicago, IL); sister, Irma Cole Buford (Houston, TX); grandson, Roderick O. Duff (Baton Rouge, LA); 4 great-grandchildren; cousins; nephews; other relatives and friends.
