Last Call for the Colonel
T. Paul Durkin, 86
Thomas Paul Durkin, “The Colonel,” passed away peacefully in his hometown of Kearny, NJ on Saturday, January 16, 2016. He was predeceased in 2005 by his wife of 43 years, Ellen Ann (nee Usher) Durkin. Paul would have been 87 this Wednesday. Visiting will be on Tuesday January 19, 2016 from 4 until 8 p.m. at the Armitage Wiggins Funeral Home 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. Mass Wednesday 11 a.m. in Queen of Peace Church, North Arlington. Private cremation will follow.
The youngest of Gertrude (nee Woods) and James’s six children, Durkin was born on January 20, 1929 in Kearny. He attended the Kearny Public Schools and St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Kearny as a child. The son of a veteran newspaper man, Durkin began his own newswriting career covering sports with the Newark Star-Ledger and the Observer while a student at Kearny High School.
Durkin’s accomplished career in journalism spanned seven decades (1940s to 2000s) and included stops at several major publications and news services including the Associated Press, Dell Sports, Dorf Feature Services, the Jersey Journal, the New York Daily News, the New York Times, the Star-Ledger, the Stars and Stripes, and the New York World Telegram.
Durkin’s early career included assignments covering horse racing and area sports teams including the New York Football Giants, the New York Rangers, and the New York Yankees. Among his most cherished assignments was traveling the world with the U.S. Olympic Track & Field team, following them to the Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland in 1952 and Melbourne, Australia in 1956. He honorably served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954.
In the 1960s, Durkin became an “inside” man when he transitioned to the editor’s desks at several of New York’s most influential sports departments. He was the editor of Dell Sports magazine and numerous sports books when he met his future wife, Ellen Usher, at that time a writer at Dell Publishing. They married on September 15, 1962 in New York City.
In the 1970s, he was an editor with the New York Times and served as associate sports editor of the Daily News.
In the early 1980s, Durkin returned to his roots in Hudson County, NJ and joined the news desk of the Jersey Journal in Jersey City. He spent the remainder of his career there until his retirement in 2000.
The Colonel is survived by his five sons and their wives: Michael (Kerri), Stephen (Beth), Patrick (Danielle), David, and Andrew (Mary); twelve grandchildren: Katelyn, Kyle, Connor, Erin, Ryan, Thomas, Kelsey, Sean, Christopher, Connor, Brendan and Julia; and dear nieces Elaine Parker and Jill Wiss (Mason).
Durkin was a devoted parishioner of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in North Arlington, NJ and a proud member of the Newspaper Guild of America and the Elks. In addition to his family, the Colonel leaves behind many dear friends and admirers.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Women Rising, 270 Fairmount Avenue, Jersey City, NJ.