Rotorua fatal mobility scooter crash victim Edward Duffy remembered as dedicated gardener, dad, husband

Eddie Duffy was killed in a crash before he could add his latest plant purchases to his beloved Rotorua garden. Photos / Maryana Garcia, supplied

Edward Duffy bought a batch of new plants the day he died.

They were to be the latest additions to a garden he dedicated to his late wife Sally, who died of cancer 10 years ago.

He called it Sally’s Garden and it stretched from his letterbox to the front door of his unit at Bupa Redwood Retirement Village and Care Home in Rotorua.

Known to family and friends as Eddie, the 88-year-old former Tauranga man would spend hours making sure the flowerbeds – filled with lilies, asters, dahlias and other colourful blooms – looked beautiful, relatives say.

Tragically, he never got to plant his latest purchases.

On Tuesday about 10.20am, Eddie’s mobility scooter and a motorcycle collided in Rotorua’s CBD near the intersection of Tutanekai and Amohau Sts.

Witnesses reported a “bang” and passersby rushing to help an elderly man, with emergency services soon taking over CPR efforts, but police later confirmed the mobility scooter rider had died at the scene.

Son’s message for motorbike rider

Eddie’s son Tom Duffy told the Rotorua Daily Post his dad had fallen off his mobility scooter before and had been “lucky to escape death on a few occasions”.

But news of his sudden passing on Tuesday came as “a shock”.

It was also “a relief, in a way” for his dad, whose health had been failing.

”Because it was quick and sudden, and he’s got no more pain”.

Tom said one of Eddie’s legs was amputated about 15 years ago due to poor circulation, but he was left with a lot of pain and his other leg was also set to be removed.

He said his dad had been resigned to this and had been making plans about how to continue working in his beloved garden.

“He certainly wouldn’t have wanted to decline and suffer over a prolonged period.”

Tom said he hoped the motorbike rider also involved in the crash would be able to move past it.

”I would never wish ill on them.”

Next Saturday, the family will put Eddie’s ashes next to Sally’s at Centennial Park.

Eddie Duffy and wife Sally met 46 years ago.

Eddie met Sally 46 years ago. They had no shared children but had seven between them from previous marriages, Eddie’s four and Sally’s three.

He said the garden at their retirement home filled with lilies was the couple’s “pride and joy” and Eddie dedicated it to Sally after she died.

Tom said as well as international travels, the couple had loved campervan trips to local campsites and beaches, where Duffy would catch fish for their dinners.

They travelled the country playing mixed indoor bowls, something Sally – who represented New Zealand in the sport – got Eddie into after they met.

A gallery in the couple's home dedicated to Sally's indoor bowling talents. Photo / Maryana Garcia

Tom said his father was a “keen sportsman”, playing tennis in his younger years and representing Wellington and Rotorua. He also played rugby.

He was born in Wellington to an Irish father who had migrated to New Zealand. Eddie went to a Catholic boarding school after losing his mother at a young age, Tom said.

Eddie was a builder and Tom said he would work alongside him during university holidays.

He said his dad built their family home when they were kids, as well as his and Sally’s when they moved to Tauranga for six years.

Tom said his dad loved a chat, talking about “the good old days”, and a bit of banter.

He said his dad had “a lot of mates” back in the day, and they would spend a lot of time at the Citizen’s Club, and, more recently, he became a member of the Rotorua RSA.

Vera Ibbetson, 87, said the news of her brother-in-law’s “tragic” passing on Tuesday was “absolutely shocking”.

“I couldn’t believe it.”

A note and flowers placed at the scene of the crash as a tribute. Photo / Laura Smith

However, the thought of him being “at peace and back with Sally” brought some comfort.

“He will be pleased because he really missed Sally.”

She said the couple had moved into the unit at the Redwood Retirement Village with their fox terrier, Jenny, just a few weeks before Sally died.

Ibbetson said her death impacted Duffy “very much” and he dedicated to her their “special garden”, which also contained the ashes of their fox terrier.

Eddie would make the “awful long” 15km return trip from the village to Bunnings on his mobility scooter to buy “trays and trays” of plants.

“He kept the garden absolutely beautiful to this day.”

Eddie Duffy's well-tended flower garden was dedicated to his late wife Sally. Photo / Maryana Garcia

She said he would drop down “on his backside to tend the garden … and pull himself along with his hands”.

Ibbetson said Duffy had been in a lot of pain but “he was happy when he was out in his garden”.

People would often stop outside his unit to admire his work, she said.

She said he had bought new plants on Tuesday morning. Gardening staff at the village planted them after his death.

Can you help?

Police have said they want to hear from anyone who saw or may have dashcam footage of the motorcycle before the collision.

Contact police on 105 and quote file number 231121/3158.

Cira Olivier is a social issues and breaking news reporter for NZME Bay of Plenty. She has been a journalist since 2019.