Joan Caroline (Henry) Walsh, at the age of 94, December 5, 2017 at her home in Mattapoisett, MA, surrounded by all her children: Devoted wife of the late Edward J. Walsh for 65 years, They met at Columbia University’s US Navy Midshipman School and waited to marry until Lieutenant Walsh returned from combat duty as Executive Officer of USS Cockrell in the North Atlantic and South Pacific. Married at St. Barnabas Church in 1946, the couple moved to the Boston area where they raised their family:of four sons and a daughter. Mother of Edward, Jr. and his wife Christine of Cocoa Beach, FL; M. Jane and her husband John McEvoy of Belmont; Philip and his wife Maureen Roberts of Sutton; John and his wife Maura of Southborough; and Thomas of Mattapoisett. Grandmother of 12: Edward III of Duxbury, Dr. Erin Leonard of New Jersey, Megan Walsh-Shaoul and Courtney Jagannath of New York, Matthew McEvoy of Sudbury, Michael McEvoy of Boston, Elizabeth McEvoy of Natick, Katherine Giles of Westford, Patrick of Sutton, Joseph, James and Matthew of Southborough.Great Grandmother of 16: Bridget, James, Jack, Declan, Molly, Ryan, Annie, Stella, Piper, Henry, Mayer, Luna, Goldie, Mila, Ellie and Eva. Sister of Ann Mahony and Judith Keegan of Connecticut and of the late Mary Elizabeth Kramer of New York. Born in New York City, the daughter of the late Harold J. and Katherine A. (Rooney) Henry, she was a graduate of The Academy of Mt. St. Ursula and The Berkeley Llewelyn School of Manhattan and worked for Time Magazine, editing for publication letters to the editor and worked at Young and Rubicam, the Madison Avenue advertising firm. After her marriage at the end of World War II, she dedicated herself to family, friends and community. A long time resident of Natick and Wellesley, where she was on the board of directors of the Wellesley Hills Garden Club, and was active in St. James The Great parish for the half century before it was closed by the Archdiocese, the Cub Scouts, PTA and was a volunteer at Newton Wellesley Hospital. She and her husband retired to a life of sailing from their Mattapoisett home, visiting ports across the South and Bahamas every winter and New England in the summer. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to Sr. Barbara Walsh, SUSC, O.P.E.N. ESOL Program, 60 Liberty St., New Bedford, MA, 02740.
Visiting hours will be held on Saturday, December 9th morning from 9:30 - 10:30 AM in Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett followed by her Funeral Mass at 11 AM at St. Anthony’s Church, Mattapoisett.