WILLIAMSBURG — Paul Dunphy, district director for state Rep. Stephen Kulik, died Sunday, leaving behind a long history of public service in western Massachusetts.
Dunphy 69, died from complications of a blood disorder, an illness that he had been battling for many years. (Obituary, Page A4)
Kulik said Dunphy worked with him right up until the day he died.
“He worked for me for 12 years as my district director and was involved in so much of what I do, day to day, and with the constituents,” Kulik said. “He was a huge part of Williamsburg and Haydenville and had an incredible knowledge of politics and local history.”
Throughout his life Dunphy served on a variety of boards and committees in town, including the Select Board, Planning Board, the Trust Fund Commission, the School Committee and the Hampshire Regional School Committee. He was treasurer of the Council on Aging Advisory Board, served on the Haydenville Cemetery Association, and put in 20 years as the chairman of the Williamsburg Democratic Town Committee.
During his career, Dunphy had also served as the town administrator for Chesterfield and spent 20 years as the official clock winder for the clock in the steeple of the Haydenville Congregational Church.
“I am very saddened to hear about Paul’s passing,” said his friend and colleague, former Williamsburg Select Board member Jeff Ciuffreda. “I knew that he had been struggling with his health over the last few months, and he seemed to be having more bad days than good.”
Ciuffreda said he had known Dunphy for more than 20 years and praised him for his dedication to “doing good work” and improving the lives of others.
When Ciuffreda left the Select Board in 2011 after 17 years of service, it was Dunphy who replaced him.
“I was thrilled that when I stepped down from the Select Board, Paul stepped up to replace me,” Ciuffreda said. “After being a selectman for so long and putting so much time and effort into the town, you want to know things will be OK, and knowing that Paul would be taking my place really put my mind at ease.”
Ciuffreda described Dunphy as a man who had a knack for listening to and understanding others.
“He was a very quiet person but in those quiet moments, he was always listening to what people had to say,” he said. “Then when he spoke, you would realize what a very thoughtful person he was. He really was a lovely, lovely man.”
In the late 1970s and ’80s, Dunphy worked as a reporter for the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
“I was the Amherst editor back then but I knew that Paul was a very lively presence in the newsroom,” said former Gazette editor Jim Foudy. “He loved helping people and was the kind of person who liked getting things done, whether that was in politics or in journalism.”
Kulik said Dunphy often shared his memories of being a reporter.
“He looked very fondly on his days in journalism,” Kulik said. “I think they informed how he dealt with people, how he dealt with the press, and how he always wanted to get things right.”
He noted that Dunphy came from a prominent family of public servants, had a fantastic memory and a wealth of stories to tell.
“His definition of politics was public service,” Ciuffreda said. “He believed that politicians and elected officials were there to serve their constituents.”
Town Clerk Brenda Lessard said she was sad to hear the news of Dunphy’s passing, saying “he was always a very pleasant and kind person.”
A memorial service for Dunphy will be held Saturday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. at the Haydenville Congregational Church.