Obituary of Eugene J. Durgin, Jr.

It is with great sadness that the family of Eugene J. Durgin Jr. announce his sudden passing on October 19th, 2024, at the age of 82 years. Gene was the eldest son of the late Eugene J. Durgin and Dorothy (Donovan) Durgin of Milton, MA. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 37 years, Carol (Hyde) Durgin; his children (from previous marriage to the late Catherine (Bresnahan) Durgin): EJ Durgin III and his wife Laura (Mirabella) Durgin, James Durgin, William Durgin; stepdaughters: Pamela Kennedy, Karen Kennedy and grandchildren: Oliver Durgin and Jessica Durgin; siblings: Maria (Durgin) Capobianco of Mashpee, and Paul Durgin of Milton and the late Robert Durgin of Hingham.

Gene was born in Boston, MA, graduated from Archbishop Williams high school and Boston College class of 1963. Gene’s career in finance began at the Bank of Boston in the mid-1960s and then moved on to BayBank, where he worked for twenty years. He retired from his final job as senior Vice-president of Freedom Capital in 2010. In 1991, Governor William Weld appointed him to sit on the board of trustees at Bridgewater State University. For more than 30 years, he served many roles and retired as chairman of the board in 2022. At the time of his death, he was an active member of the Worcester County Retirement board and heavily involved with the Bridgewater State community. He will be deeply missed by his friends and colleagues at Bridgewater State University, the Boston College community, and his dear friends in Duxbury, MA and Stuart, FL.

He rarely missed a Boston College Football game, rooting on the Eagles over 30 years as a season ticket holder. With encouragement, “nudging” from his wife Carol, Gene traveled around the globe, often sightseeing on bicycle tours. In his early athletic years, he enjoyed running, and playing tennis. He completed the Boston and New York City Marathons and was known to challenge his eldest son to try to beat him in local 5k races. Most recently, golf was his sport of choice. He met regularly with a hardy group of gentlemen enjoying conversation and striving for his best game. We will miss Gene’s sense of humor. He was always one who enjoyed a good joke, some he alone appreciated more than others. You could often find him doubled over laughing with friends, and family, especially his grandchildren. His contagious smile will be remembered by many and missed by all.

Family and friends are invited to attend Visiting Hours on Sunday October 27th from 1-4 pm at Shepherd Funeral Home, 216 Main Street Kingston, MA 02364. Mass will be celebrated on Monday, October 28th at 10:00 am at Holy Family Church, 601 Tremont Street, Duxbury MA 02332.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Gene’s memory to the Eugene J. Durgin, Jr. Endowed Scholarship Fund at Bridgewater State University. Checks can be made payable to the BSU Foundation, and mailed to the Bridgewater State University Foundation, P.O. Box 42, Bridgewater, MA 02324. To make a gift online, please visit https://bridgew.edu/give. Gene’s scholarship fund will appear in the drop-down menu.