Eugene Walsh

WALSH
Eugene (Gene) Edward, of Washington Township, formerly of Englewood, passed away on March 13, 2015. Born in New York, NY, in 1932, he was raised in the Highbridge section of the Bronx and later lived in Englewood for 50 years. Beloved husband of Ann (nee Duddy) for 54 years. Cherished father of Maureen and Kevin Barry, Kathleen and David Kaminsky, Sheila and John Lopez, James and Andrea Walsh, Annie and Scott Mitchell and Sean and Kim Walsh. Devoted grandfather of Jack and Alec Lopez, Katie Kaminsky, Tyler, Dylan and Liam Walsh, Ainsleigh and Brendan Walsh and Grace Mitchell. Also survived by his sister Margaret Regan and his brother Dennis Walsh and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his son Eugene Joseph in 1967, and by his parents, Margaret (Twomey) and Cornelius Walsh and his brothers, John, Cornelius and William Walsh. Gene attended Manhattan College and then joined the Air Force during the Korean Conflict, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was honorably discharged after serving as a counter-intelligence agent in the OSI in Germany. Upon returning home, he met his future wife at a Sunday night Irish dance in Croke Park in the Bronx. They were married in 1960 and raised their family in Englewood, NJ. Gene believed in service to the community and was elected to the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1964, serving until 1967. One of his proudest accomplishments during that time was voting to establish Bergen Community College in 1965, and appointing its first Board of Trustees in 1966. He served as an Adjunct Professor at the college for eleven years, teaching Municipal Land Use and Real Estate Law. He was named "Man of the Year" in March 2012 by the Bergen Community College Foundation and was honored at the May 2013 Commencement. Gene was an active member of the Democratic party beginning in 1960, and was inducted into the Bergen County Democratic Hall of Fame in 2014. His dedication to the Englewood community included serving as a member of the Englewood Police Advisory Committee in the 1960's, Chairman of the Englewood Department of Public Works Advisory Committee in the seventies, and Commissioner of the Housing Authority of the City of Englewood in the 1980s. Gene served as Director of General Services for the County of Bergen from 1975 until 1980. In 1980, he established the Department of Economic Development for Bergen County, coordinating the Private Industry Council, economic development grant programs, and conducting area job fairs to help find employment for displaced workers when local plants were closing. Beginning in the 1980's, he returned to his real estate career, establishing Walsh Management Associates and later Penwal Affordable Housing Corporation, developing low and moderate income housing for hundreds of senior citizens and multi-family households. He was recognized by the State of NJ as an expert in Zoning and Planning, often testifying before the Superior Court of NJ, and served as Vice President of the NJ Community Development Association. Gene was a devout Catholic and a parishioner of St. Cecilia R.C. Church in Englewood, where he and Ann were married. He served as a lector, usher and member of the Parish Council, and Chairman of the Real Estate Committee. He also held a number of offices with the St. Cecilia Holy Name Society, including President and Member of the Executive Committee. In his later years, Gene was a Member of the Development Committee of the Inter-