By John C. O'Connell
Mr. Walsh is survived by his wife, Sarah; sons William, Patrick, Brendan, Sean and Conor; a sister, Maureen; a brother, Martin; 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by a sister, Eileen, and a son, Michael, who died in 1966.
Mr. Walsh served as a soldier in the Korean War and later as a reservist, retiring as a captain after 20 years. He was a member of the American Legion Andrew Fatscher Post 854 in Valley Stream.
Mr. Walsh retired after 34 years with the Western Electric Company, where he was a data processing supervisor. He was a member of the parish of Holy Name of Mary R.C. Church, where he served as a minister, usher and sacristan. He distributed food to the needy through the St. Vincent dePaul Society, and was a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus.
"We were good friends for 30 years," said Valley Stream Mayor Edward Cahill. "Bill was a very religious man, a devout Catholic." Cahill and Walsh were ushers together at the 10:30 a.m. Mass at Holy Name of Mary every Sunday and made two degrees together at the Knights of Columbus.
"He was always very sincere, a real family man, a quiet man, a man of charity," Cahill said. "He was a perfect gentleman. I know he will be missed in Valley Stream."
Walsh was extremely proud of his Irish roots, and made many visits to Ireland with Sarah over the years. "My father loved Ireland, and loved to wear his Irish cap," said his son Brendan, a retired NYC Corrections Department police captain. "Many people said my father was a lot like John Wayne in 'The Quiet Man': very strong and yet a quiet man.
"Six relatives from Ireland made the trip here for the funeral services, and we had the New York Corrections Department Pipe Band play at the services," Brendan said.
Walsh was proud of his sons and their families. And he had a great affection for the police and the work they do, according to Cahill. The Larchmont Police Department sent a police escort to the funeral. Walsh's son William is a Larchmont police sergeant. His son Sean is a retired NYPD detective, and Conor is an active NYPD detective.
Bill Facibene, president of Holy Name of Mary's Holy Name Society, knew Walsh for many years and remembers him as a man worthy of great respect. "He was a very serious, dedicated man," Facibene said. "Whenever I needed guidance, he was always there. He was at every meeting we had, and as I said at his wake, I'm sure he's still going to be with us."
The Holy Name Society named Walsh its 2002 Man of the Year last Nov. 11, in ceremonies attended by society members, parishioners, clergy, elected officials, family and friends. The occasion was an opportunity for many to tell Walsh how much he was loved and to thank him for his decades of service to the parish and the Valley Stream community. And it gave Walsh an opportunity to express his love of his family, friends, parish and village.
Presentations were made to Walsh by the society as well as by Cahill, Town of Hempstead Councilman James Darcy and Nassau County Legislator Francis Becker. Darcy praised Walsh as one of "the ordinary men who do extraordinary things in such extraordinary ways."
The Rev. Thomas Harold, pastor of Holy Name of Mary, described Walsh as a man of wisdom and thanked him for his kindness when Harold first arrived at the church. The pastor thanked Walsh for his service to the parish family.
Surrounded by his wife and society officers, with his other family members close by, Walsh responded with grace to the words of praise. "We moved here in 1966, and it was the best move we ever made," he said. "Thanks to everyone -- my friends, Ed Cahill, Jim Darcy and Fran Becker and everyone here -- for these words and for being here with me tonight. Valley Stream is a great place to live, a great place to raise a family. This parish has great priests, nuns and parish staff. I just want to say that no matter what you give, you get double back."
"This faith-filled man's unending devotion to God, family and church is outstanding," said Joseph Scalise, chaplain of the Holy Name Society. "He has touched so many lives for the good."
Walsh was waked at the Lieber Funeral Home in Valley Stream. Kevin J. Faughey, the parish music director, played "The Song of Farewell," to the melody of "Danny Boy," at the funeral Mass on Saturday, July 19, at Holy Name of Mary. Choir soloist Rene Socci sang "Ave Maria."
"All the hymns were chosen by Bill Walsh himself," Facibene said. "They all had an Irish theme to them. And then at the end, Father Harold quoted scripture and said of Bill, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.' That was really beautiful."
