Obituary of William Kenneth Walsh
We are saddened to announce the passing of William Walsh, who passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on November 10th, 2024, at the age of 96. William Kenneth Walsh, born January 3, 1928, to Mary and Frank Walsh in Brooklyn, New York. He was raised in Catholic schools in Brooklyn, was a member of the New York State Guard (lying about his age) from age 15 to 17, assigned to the 23 rd Regiment in Brooklyn, now an expert marksman, he joined the Army in 1946 and was discharged in April 1948. He served in World War II in the Pacific Theatre in the Occupation Forces in Japan in the 11 th Airborne Division, 511 PIR, as a paratrooper, he was proud of the fact that he made PFC twice! He tried to join earlier than 18 but his mother wouldn’t let him.
After returning home from the war, with nothing more than a high school education, he entertained becoming a New York City policeman but instead found his niche in computer programming where he learned how to be an expert in his field while on the job. He worked as a Systems Analyst, building computer systems from scratch for paper mills for companies including JP Stevens and the International Paper Company which brought him all over the country from New York, to South Carolina, Florida, , Alabama, Oregon, upstate New York and then landing in New Jersey in 1968 where he finished out his career at the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann La Roche in Nutley. He retired in 1995 as the head Systems Analyst for the company.
For the 26 years he spent in Denville, he was heavily involved in St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church and School, supported them with working bingo and being an usher at church, was a lifetime Knights of Columbus member, was a member of the American Legion Post 390, and enjoyed all sports including soccer, racquetball, tennis and golf. He coached many of his children’s sports teams, helped to build the pavilion at Gardner Field where the annual of Knights of Columbus picnic was held, many other township projects, and countless other volunteer endeavors were among many of his charitable contributions.
He loved his Brooklyn Dodgers since the ripe ole age of four… even peeking through the fence to catch a glimpse of his beloved team. He always said, “I left Brooklyn before the Dodgers did”, but was a loyal fan all his life, enjoying many games at Ebbits Field, and continuing to support them even after their move to Los Angeles. Notably, he was devastated when they tore down Ebbits Field but was able to celebrate their World Series win over the Yankees. But most of all he loved his family and friends. He was the Founding Father of the Walsh family, always the go- to guy for everything and anything. He was generous to a fault, with both his time and money. He was a mentor to friends and family when it came to financial decisions and construction projects and could build anything! Whatever the issue was, he knew a way to solve it. He was deeply passionate about his Irish heritage, it’s history and music. He was able to travel to Ireland several times later in life.
Bill met Margaret Hrabcak and they married July 26, 1952, in Brooklyn. They went on to welcome and raise eight children: Joanne, Linda, Kenneth, Patricia, Kevin, Mary, Greg and Kerry. He loved raising his family, watching it grow into multiple generations, and playing ball with the kids and grandkids. William is predeceased by his parents, two brothers Eddie and Jimmy, wife Margie (1986), his sons Ken (2021), Kevin (2016) and Greg (2014), daughters Joanne (2011) and Patricia (2019) and son-in-law Magnus (2021). He leaves behind daughter’s Linda Hogan (Michael DeVito), Mary Covert (William) and Kerry Stevenson, 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, with yet another one on the way. If you would like to contribute to William’s memory yourself, please make a charitable contribution to a veteran’s support charity, or to the charity of your choice.
Viewing services will be held at Norman Dean Funeral Home, 16 Righter Avenue, Denville, New Jersey, on Sunday, November 17 from 2pm-4pm and 6pm-8pm. Funeral services will be held on Monday, November 18 at St. Mary’s RC Church, 15 Myers Avenue, Denville, New Jersey, at 10am with graveside service to follow at the Denville Cemetery.
