Ellen O’Neal Walsh died peacefully on April 24, 2021 at her home in Wellesley Hills, MA after a courageous battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Born in St. Louis on January 25, 1946 and raised in Port Chester, NY, Ellen attended school at Convent of The Sacred Heart in Greenwich, CT prior to graduating from Duchesne College in New York, New York.
With a successful career spanning 35 years in residential real estate, Ellen was a trendsetter in home staging, using her own floral arrangements and personal furnishings to market homes -- before staging became a staple in the real estate industry. She was a Vice President and Premier Associate at Coldwell Banker Realty and was named to the International President’s Elite circle, which consisted of the top 1% of Coldwell Banker brokers in the United States.
After being diagnosed with ALS in March 2020, Ellen and her family personally led a fundraising campaign at Mass General Hospital’s Sean M. Healy and AMG Center for ALS, raising money to promote additional research to cure the disease.
Ellen is survived by her loving husband of 49 years, Robert Andrew Walsh, Sr. of Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts, her children, Robert Andrew Walsh, Jr. (47) and daughter-in-law Jayne Hanley Walsh (40) of Rockford, IL, Kevin James Walsh (45) of Santa Monica, CA, and Katherine Tierney Walsh (41) of Newton, MA.
Ellen was known as “Belle” by her grandchildren Robert Andrew Walsh, III (8) and Hanley James Walsh (5) also of Rockford, IL.
Ellen was the second of seven children and is additionally survived by her six siblings: Sally Maloney of Greenwich, CT, Mary McDonnell Davidson of Greenwich, CT, Kathy Wasilko or Greenwich, CT, Peggy Shepard of Rye, NY, Nancy Holloway of Springfield, MA, and Jim O’Neal of Wilmington, NC.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made on Ellen’s behalf to the Ring My Belle for ALS foundation, a 501(c)(3) foundation, at Mass General Hospital.
For more information, please visit: because.massgeneral.org/event/ring-my-belle/e310521.