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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 19, 2025 Page 17 OBITUARIES Robert W. Duffy metals along with placing a lot of sports bets!! He is survived by his son Robert M. Duffy of Methuen, his daughter Brianne L. Duffy-DiPersio of Wakefield and his grandchildren Lucy, Louis, Brayden and Angelo. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Gayle Carter. Visitation and Funeral Services were held at Weir-MacCuish Golden Rule Funeral Home, Malden. on Wed., Sept 17th followed by Interment in Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett. In lieu of flowers, Bob and his family would value your time in making a donation in his memory to the VA Boston Healthcare System, ATTN: CDCE (135), 1400 VFW Parkway West Roxbury, MA 02132 A long time Malden resident and retired Malden Firefighter passed away peacefully on Saturday morning September 13th. He was under the outstanding and loving care of the U.S. Department of Veterans affairs: West Roxbury hospital. Bob was born at Malden hospital in 1948; son to Dorothy Mulley-Duffy and Martin R. Duffy. He spent his early years in the family's triple decker on Dartmouth Dt in Everett. Upon entering the third grade his family bought a home on Rich Street in Malden where he attended the Lincoln School. He played basketball and football for Malden High School then, immediately following graduation in the spring of 1967, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He served four years in active military duty; 1968-1970 The Vietnam War and 1970-1972 At Hurlburt Air Force Base, FL where he was promoted to Sergeant before honorable discharge in the summer of 1972. Throughout his return to civilian life he worked for Town & Country Jewlery and studied at North Adams State and Salem State before ultimately becoming a proud Malden Firefighter where he served his community for over twenty years. Robert was a lifelong member of the Stoneham-Woburn Elks and an active member with The American Legion. He was an avid fisherman, outdoorsman, carpenter and gardener. He enjoyed studying and collecting coins and precious John F. Filippi A tenancy by the entirety is a special form of joint ownership of real estate available only to a married couple. In a tenancy by the entirety, neither spouse owns a separate interest in the real estate. Rather, each spouse (and both spouses as the marital unit) own the entire interest. Effective February 11, 1980, Of Malden. Entered into eternal rest, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 in the Dexter House Healthcare in Malden. He was 90 years old. Born in Boston, Johnny lived in Malden for many years. He was a graduate of Bentley University with an accounting degree and worked in the accounting field for many years. Late on he became a Master Electrician and worked for and retired form M I T. Beloved husband of the late Cecelia K. “Cece” (Bowen) for over 66 years prior to her passing. Dear and devoted father of Mark Filippi and his wife, Deborah of Wilmington, Kathleen R. Filippi-Brown and her husband, Benjamin of Malden and Valerie Giambrone and her husband, Michael of Revere. Loving grandpa of Michael Giambrone and his wife, Ashley of Salem, Alicia Giambrone and her companion, Troy Young of Retenancies by the entirety in Massachusetts underwent radical change by virtue of a statutory amendment. The revision at last brought the statute in line with the concepts of gender equality as they had evolved, at least insofar as marital ownership of property is concerned, as of the final quarter of the 20th century. With the amendment, both spouses are equally entitled to the income from, and to the possession and control of property owned by them as tenants by the entirety, and each has a right to the whole on survivorship. Furthermore, so long as the property in question is the principal residence of the nondebtor spouse, a debtor spouse’s interest in the property held as tenants by the entirety is not subject to seizure vere and Michelle Penta and her husband, Christopher of South Windsor, CT. Dear brother of Thomas Filippi and his wife, Janice of Malden. Relatives and friends were invited to attend John’s visitation and a funeral home service in the Cafasso & Sons Funeral Home, Everett, Tuesday, September 16. Interment Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden. Late member of the Italian-American Citizens Club, Malden and the Irish-American Club, Malden. Contributions in Johnny’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 38105 would be sincerely appreciated. TENANTS BY THE ENTIRETY or execution by creditors of the debtor spouse. The protection does not extend to collection efforts relating to debts for necessaries furnished to either spouse or to a family member. As to those debts, the statute imposes joint and several liability on both spouses. For any other type of debt, however, a debtor’s property held as tenants by the entirety is not subject to a creditor’s seizure or execution if (a) the property is the principal residence of the non-debtor spouse and (b) the nondebtor spouse has no liability for the debt. Although not subject to seizure and execution, a nondebtor spouse’s interest in the principal residence may be attached by a creditor. The resulting cloud on title creates a practical problem in the face of an upcoming sale or refinance of the property, in effect forcing the nondebtor spouse to negotiate with the creditor prior to the closing of the transaction in order to obtain a release of the attachment. It is important to review the deed to your home in order to determine how title is held. Often, two individuals take title as joint tenants with rights of survivorship or as tenants in common as the home was purchased prior to having been married. In that case, the two individuals can transfer the home to themselves for one dollar after they get married and would then take title as “husband and wife, as tenants by the entirety”. A declaration of homestead could also be recorded at the same time in order to protect up to $1,000,000 in equity in the home in the event of a lawsuit. If both spouses are age 62 or older, each spouse would receive a homestead exemption of $1,000,000 for a total of $2,000,000 of protection. Currently, when the home is transferred into a revocable trust or an irrevocable trust, you are able to receive the benefits of the homestead exemption. The revised homestead law was passed on March 16, 2011. Without the declaration of homestead, there is no asset protection benefit when you simply hold real estate in a revocable trust. There would be asset protection if you place real estate into an irrevocable trust and reserve no rights to receive principal. However, if there is rental property in an irrevocable Trust, for example, a creditor could place a lien on the right to receive the net rental income. At some point in time, the benefits of placing your home in trust along with a declaration of homestead will most likely outweigh the asset protection benefits of tenants by the entirety coupled with a declaration of homestead. Avoidance of probate, estate tax planning and nursing home protection planning are just some of the reasons why you might decide to place your home into a trust.. Joseph D. Cataldo is an estate planning/elder law attorney, Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a master’s degree in taxation.

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