Friends, Colleagues Remember West View Couple Killed In Snowy Accident

Friends and colleagues say a West View husband and wife who died over the weekend were quiet, private and each very good at what they did for a living.

Robert W. Duffy and wife Rita (Abdel) Duffy were among three people killed in a chain-reaction crash after a snow squall created whiteout conditions along an accident-prone corridor of Interstate 80 in Venango County, according to Venango County Deputy Coroner Chris Hile. The couple is survived by a daughter, Alexandra, 23.

Duffy, 51, was assistant principal at Franklin Regional Middle School in Murrysville.

“He was not a large man, but he was a giant when it came to representing students,” said Franklin Regional Superintendent P. Emery D’Arcangelo. “It’s quite a shock. We are very saddened to lose such a good man as Bob.” 

Duffy was born in Chicago and raised in Lower Burrell. He graduated in 1983 from Penn State University and went to work as a labor relations specialist for Conrail in Chicago. In 1994, he changed careers and earned his masters degree in education from the University of Pittsburgh, according to a biography that the Franklin Regional School District released. 

Duffy worked as an English teacher and as a coordinator for the gifted program until 2001, when he became assistant principal at Franklin Regional High School. In the fall of 2011, he moved to the same position at the middle school. 

“He really found a home at the middle school,” said D’Arcangelo. “It’s very quiet and solemn there today. His death is particularly hard on all of the teachers who worked with Bob.” The district provided grief counselors today at the school.

Duffy met Abdel while they worked for Conrail.The couple married in 1987. They bought a home in 1995 in West View, according to the Allegheny County Real Estate web site. 

Abdel, 58, was born in Jordan and eventually immigrated to Chicago. She worked for the last 10 years as an executive secretary for four lawyers in the Pittsburgh office of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC.

“Rita was quiet, very kind, well-liked and an excellent member of our office,” said Scott D. Cessar, head of Eckert Seaman’s Pittsburgh office. “It’s an unbelievable shock. She came to our office 10 years ago never having had worked in a law office, but our human resources department recognized her as someone very motivated and intelligent. She will be missed.” 

Her family described her as "a soft-spoken and helpful woman who was deeply devoted to her husband and daughter."

The crash occurred at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the westbound lanes of I-80 between Emlenton and Clintonville in a wooded rural corridor that has been the scene of numerous prior crashes. Hile said a sudden snow squall nearly eliminated visibility for drivers on the highway, causing multiple pileups involving at least 50 vehicles through a 10-mile area. 

"It's a corridor known for rapidly changing weather. These snow squalls come up, and they almost do not give people time to react or adapt their driving habits," Hile said.

"Commercial truck traffic also does not stop or slow down for (changing) weather," he added. "It just does not stop."

The Duffys were riding in a Volkswagen that slid under a truck as vehicles began to crash or slide out of control, Hile said. Also killed in the crash was Michael Maluk, 70, of Greenville, Mercer County. Several others were injured. 

Visitation for the couple will be from 1-4 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. Wednesday at the  in West View. Services will be at 4 p.m. Thursday at Mars Alliance Church at 997 Route 228, Mars. Everyone is asked to meet at the church.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Community Foundation of Westmoreland County on behalf of Franklin Regional, Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road, Greensburg, PA 15601