[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12846-12847]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING ROBERT J. DUNFEY, SR.

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, for every pivotal moment in history, 
behind the faces of the political leaders, the negotiators, the 
protestors and the agreement-seekers, there are stalwart citizens, 
seeking to find the common ground for the common good. Last month, one 
such advocate in the march for peace in Ireland, Robert J. Dunfey, Sr., 
passed away.
  Bob Dunfey was a successful businessman, the founder of what today we 
call the Omni Hotel chain, who gave back to his community, his state, 
his country and his world. A public servant who spent decades advancing 
peace-building efforts in his ancestral home of Ireland, Mr. Dunfey was 
widely regarded by leaders of all walks in Ireland. He worked to 
support initiatives in Northern Ireland, as well as those in Ireland. A 
trusted partner, Bob Dunfey sought neither credit nor the spotlight; he 
worked behind the scenes, a true hallmark of public service.
  Marcelle and I were touched when Bob welcomed us and our family into 
his home in Ballyferriter, Ireland. He leaves behind family and friends 
in his native New England, across the country and around the world. His 
is a friendship I will miss.
  I ask unanimous consent that the full obituary for Robert Dunfey, 
Sr., be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

   Obituary for Robert J. Dunfey Sr., Co-Founder, Omni-Dunfey Hotels 
           International and Peace-Builder, Northern Ireland

       Robert John `Bob' Dunfey, Sr. of Portsmouth, NH and 
     formerly of Cape Elizabeth, ME, died peacefully on Tuesday, 
     August 23, 2016, surrounded by loving family including his 
     devoted wife, Jeanette Marston Dunfey who tirelessly cared 
     for him during his long and valiant struggle against 
     Parkinson's Disease.
       Bob was born February 9, 1928 in Lowell, MA, the seventh of 
     twelve children of Catherine and LeRoy Dunfey. He was 
     educated at St. Patrick's School and Keith Academy, both in 
     Lowell.
       He is survived by former wife Shirley (Corey) Dunfey, and 
     five children: Robert Dunfey, Jr. Cape Elizabeth, ME; Roy and 
     Karen Dunfey, Portland, ME; Eileen Dunfey and Michael 
     Pulsifer, Cape Elizabeth, ME; Brian Dunfey, South Berwick, 
     ME; Maryanne Dunfey, North Conway, NH; 10 grandchildren and 3 
     great-grandchildren.
       He is also survived by 4 of his 11 siblings: Jack and his 
     wife Lisa of Boston; Eileen Robinson of Bradenton, FL; Jerry 
     and his wife Nadine Hack of Lutry, Switzerland; Eleanor 
     Dunfey and her husband Jim Freiburger of Exeter, NH; many 
     dear cousins in Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry, Ireland; and his 
     wife Jeanette's devoted Marston family.
       He was pre-deceased by his parents Catherine and LeRoy and 
     7 Dunfey siblings: Roy, Paul, Catherine, `Kay,' Mary, William 
     `Bud,' and Richard, `Dick,' and Walter.
       Rarely in the 88 years of Bob Dunfey's life was he in or 
     did he seek the limelight, but a look behind the scenes in 
     meetings, conversations, and telephone calls would reveal 
     Bob's signature contributions. The seventh child in a family 
     of 12 knew from the beginning that his life would be that of 
     bridge builder, connector, supporter of worthy causes.
       Too young to enlist in WWII with his older brothers, he 
     became the indispensable ``right hand'' for his father and 
     role model for his younger siblings by doing the often 
     thankless hard work--behind the counter in the family's 
     luncheonette and variety store in Lowell, MA's `ACRE,' the 
     home of so many first generation Irish and other immigrants. 
     To this day, his closest friend and partner, brother Jack, 
     credits Bob's energy and hard work as the distinct factor 
     that grew the family business from one small business to 
     fried clam stands at Hampton Beach then on to restaurants, 
     motels and hotels throughout New England, an evolution which 
     led to the purchase of Boston's famous Parker House in 1968 
     and later became Omni Hotels International.
       Bob's work in the business community had a significant 
     impact on the Maine economy. In 1966 Bob successfully led the 
     controversial campaign to allow restaurants, lounges and 
     hotels to sell alcoholic beverages on Sunday which was 
     prohibited by law. Another major contribution was the 
     development of the Maine Mall.
       During Bobby Kennedy's 1968 campaign for President, Bobby 
     would personally call Bob each Sunday to hear how the 
     campaign was going in Maine. In 1980, on behalf of Maine 
     Governor Brennan, Bob asked Federal Judge George Mitchell to 
     fill the senate seat of Edmund Muskie, newly appointed 
     Secretary of State by President Carter. Mitchell accepted.
       As an active father he helped raise his family in Cape 
     Elizabeth. His favorite places were Prout's Neck walking the 
     beach and the bird walk, boating around Casco Bay and riding 
     his bike along the New England Coast. In 1965, he built a ski 
     chalet in North Conway where his family and grandchildren 
     spent winter weekends skiing Cranmore Mountain and 
     snowmobiling, He also arranged many family ski trips to Vail 
     at Thanksgiving.
       But his pride and joy was the house he had built in 
     Ballyferriter, Ireland with the most amazing view of ocean 
     and cliffs. His purpose was to have new generations of family 
     reconnect with Irish relatives. His school master and 
     archeologist cousin, Denis O'Connor helped Bob select the 
     perfect Irish name: Feorann: ``edge of the sea, a verdant 
     bank on a mountainside . . .'' Over 35 years, Bob expanded 
     that word's meaning to include: a bit of heaven to be shared 
     with all! He generously opened his Irish home to family, 
     countless friends--even friends of friends. He introduced 
     Senators George Mitchell, Ted Kennedy, Patrick Leahy, and 
     Chris Dodd to the expansive beauty and warm hospitality of 
     the Dingle Peninsula. Bob believed as every Kerryman does, 
     that there are only two kingdoms: The Kingdom of God and The 
     Kingdom of Kerry; ``One is of this world and one is out of 
     this world!''
       Robert J. `Bob' Dunfey, Sr. was a trustee of the University 
     of Maine System; a director of the American Ireland Funds; 
     founder and honorary director of the Susan L. Curtis 
     Foundation, which operates a 50-acre summer camp for Maine's 
     underprivileged children. Bob was a founding director of the 
     Maine Community Foundation. Bob served on the Spurwink Board 
     of Trustees for 14 years, and was honored as the inaugural 
     Humanitarian of the Year in 1987.
       He was founding treasurer and director of New England 
     Circle/Global Citizens Circle, a 40-year old non-profit forum 
     that brings leaders and activists together for civil dialogue 
     on critical issues that lead to constructive change in our 
     local and global communities. Bob worked tirelessly to 
     support initiatives in Northern Ireland and cultural 
     preservation projects in the South of Ireland. For his 
     extraordinary efforts over 40 years on the Isle of Ireland, 
     he was honored with several major awards by all the Parties 
     to the Peace Process as a trusted behind the scenes partner 
     for all who were interested in moving beyond ``The 
     Troubles.''
       He was an advisor for the White House Conference for Trade 
     and Investment in Northern Ireland. He participated with Sen. 
     George Mitchell, President Clinton's Special Envoy for 
     Economic Initiatives for Northern Ireland, on the Senator's 
     first tour of Belfast, Derry, and Border Towns.
       Bob and his brother, Jack Dunfey, traveled to Oslo with 
     John Hume and David Trimble and their families when the two 
     Northern Ireland leaders were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 
     in 1998.
       Perhaps it is in the reflections of others that we see the 
     worth of a life well lived. Julia Brown, Bob's granddaughter, 
     offers such a reflection and two dear friends warmly affirm 
     her tribute: ``Our Papa leaves an amazing legacy as a 
     humanitarian and activist. He touched so many lives and made 
     such a memorable impact in this world. He will be immensely 
     missed by his loving family and wide circle of friends.'' One 
     of those dear and longtime friends, Jackie Redpath, Belfast 
     Shankill Community Centre, who worked so closely alongside 
     Bob, shares that sentiment: ``Bob was a `great man'. In 
     Ireland, in Belfast, on the Shankill Falls, he straddled 
     `both sides' & both extremes & I am forever grateful for his, 
     and your family's, bringing loyalism/unionism' in from the 
     cold and giving us a seat `at the top table' in the United 
     States. People are alive today, who would not otherwise be, 
     on account of this. Bob was strong, sincere, determined, 
     wise, sensitive and great damn fun. He was very kind to me 
     and I will miss him.
       It was his beloved Maine, however, that Bob served first 
     and foremost, and the Susan Curtis Foundation expresses best, 
     all that Bob Dunfey means to them: ``It may comfort you to 
     know that this summer, nearly 500 youth learned about 
     themselves and who they can be, while developing the 
     character, skills and life lessons they need to reach their 
     dreams. Over 16,000 youth have had that same experience since 
     Camp Susan Curtis opened its doors in 1974. None of this 
     would have happened without Bob. He lives on in the thousands 
     of Maine youth (and former Maine youth--now adults!) who are 
     succeeding and thriving in part because they mattered at Camp 
     Susan Curtis. He will forever be a part of us and we will 
     miss him.''
       A celebration of Bob's life will be held at St. John's 
     Episcopal Church, 100 Chapel Street, Portsmouth, NH at 11 
     A.M. Saturday, September 10, 2016. Honoring Bob's wish, his 
     ashes will be interred in the family's ancestral grave in 
     Ballyferriter, Ireland alongside his sister, Mary; brother, 
     Walter; and nephew, Philip, at a time convenient to the 
     family. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, friends 
     consider a contribution in Bob's memory to the Susan Curtis 
     Foundation 1321 Washington Ave. #104, Portland, ME 04103.

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