Dr. Wallace Duffin

Dr. Wallace Bruce Duffin, age 91, of Alto, was reunited with the love of his life, Mildred Jeanine Duffin, on June 10, 2025. He was born on December 8, 1933, in Brooklyn, NY. He was the beloved father and grandfather of five children, seven grandchildren, and he leaves behind a storied history.

Wallace was an all-around stubborn individual who commanded respect by his very nature. His journey on this earth was one of adventure and determination. He was an enlisted soldier, an officer and a gentleman, a Doctor, pilot, teacher, gentleman farmer, international big game hunter, government appointee, and competitive shooter well into his 70’s.

Born in the early years of the Great Depression, as a child, Wally would walk to the corner bar when his parents were having a party and, paying with a dime, get the bucket he was carrying filled with beer and return to the party. As a youth, he often carried his .22 caliber rifle to school and shot at squirrels in the park on his walk home. He worked as a brakeman on the railroad at night during high school, earning below average grades as a result.

At 17, he lied about his age to join the New York Army National Guard as an artilleryman. Later, he told his father he was going to be a paratrooper. His father laughed and told him he was too small. Wally enlisted in the regular Army and not only became a paratrooper, but he was also assigned to the storied “Rakkasans,” the 187th Infantry Regiment (Air Assault), and would become an instructor at jump school, often running farther and faster backwards than most of the trainees could run forward. He served in Japan during the Korean War and even retained a little Japanese into his old age, surprising his sons when he broke it out on a hunting trip to Montana.

Wally would eventually leave the Army and enroll in college. He set the curve in his classes at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN as a pre-med double major in chemistry and physics. He attended Vanderbilt University Medical School and moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan for his medical residency in orthopedics in the 1960’s because he wanted to learn how to hunt, fly-fish and ski. He only learned to hunt before he was activated and deployed to Germany for Operation Desert Storm in 1991, where he learned to ski. In Grand Rapids, he met and married Mildred Jeanine Duffin. It was a match made in Heaven and Jeanine was the love of Wally’s life. Together their family grew, and they had a daughter and two sons. After Jeanine found a piece of property where she said they would build a home and start a farm, they would indeed start the farm, several businesses, and a legacy. Together, Wally and Jeanine loved, taught, and looked out for each other and their kids even when it wasn’t easy. He and Jeanine were the models by which their children learned, taught, coached, led, and mentored others.

Wally loved and served his family and his country. He lived by the motto of the Rakkasans, “Ne Desit Virtus,” Let Valor Not Fail.

Soldier, today, you stand relieved. We have the watch!

Wally is survived by his children, Tressa Duffin (Mary), Duncan Duffin (Heather), Douglas Duffin (Joanna), Athena Anthony, and Laura Tall; and by his brother, Bob Duffin (Sue).

A service to honor and celebrate Wally’s life will be held Monday, June 16, 2025, 12:00 PM at the Metcalf & Jonkhoff Funeral Home, 4291 Cascade Rd. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 where friends may gather with the family for one hour prior to the service. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dr. Wallace Duffin, please visit our floral store.