Olive B. Walsh

OLIVE B. WALSH
CORTLAND - Olive B. Walsh, 91, of 28 Pleasant St., Cortland, had the grace of a peaceful death September 26, 2008 at the Hospicare Residence in Ithaca. Born March 10, 1917 in Ottawa, Canada, she was the daughter of Arthur and Florence Le Blanc Beauchesne.
She was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Ronald T. Walsh Sr., of Cortland; and by her twin sister, Patricia B. Forbes of Ottawa.
Olive was known for her exuberance, her unfailing positive attitude, her devotion to family and for her great love for figure skating. She exemplified one of her favorite sayings: "Bloom where you're planted."
As co-proprietor of the Cortland Telephone Answering Service from 1959 to 1985, she was at the hub of community communication. As founder of the Cortland Figure Skating Club in 1974, she created another network to share her joy in the sport she loved. For many years, she also assisted her husband in writing daily news for the Syracuse Post Standard and Herald American. Olive was active in PTA's at both St. Mary's and Cortland City District schools, as well as in local Democratic politics.
Before moving to Cortland in 1946, she was educated at the Normal Model School. She took a bilingual business course, and then served as administrative assistant to her father, who was Clerk of the House of Commons in the Canadian Parliament. She was a lifetime figure skater who learned and performed at the Minto Skating Club in Ottawa.
She often said that she fell in love with the central New York landscape, as she drove from Canada down Route 11 to Cortland, to meet her future husband. Ron and Olive first met through letters (their maternal grandparents were childhood friends from New Brunswick), while he was stationed in Iceland during World War 2. They were married June 20, 1946. Seven children followed over the next 13 years.
In the early years of her marriage, Olive could be seen riding her bicycle around town, long braids wrapped around her head. Later, after she got her own driver's license, she loved helping many young drivers get theirs.
The Walsh household also included Ron's Aunt, Alice McManus, and at times other elderly relatives. It was full of music, laughter, and love of learning. There was always an array of pets, including dogs, cats and a monkey. The house was boisterous, but it was also a safe haven for countless members of the "extended family." When grandchildren began to arrive, they loved to enter the archway into the backyard, which Ron carefully signed "Grandma's Park." Olive's offspring are grateful for her legacy of "savoir-faire" and "joie de vivre."
Great gratitude is also extended to her recent caregivers at the Cortland Regional Medical Center and the Misty Glen Nursing Rehab Unit. Very special thanks to all the extraordinarily dedicated staff and volunteers at the Hospicare residence of Ithaca.
Olive's survivors include her sons, Arthur (Sue) Walsh of Denver, CO, Lane (Carla) Walsh of Ithaca, Edmund "Ted" (Maggie) Walsh of Cortland and Ronald (Marie) Walsh Jr. of Cortland; daughters, Alice (Allen) Green of Dryden, Martha (Samuel) Cohen of Lodi, and Charlotte (Jeffrey Lang) of Danby; sixteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Mary's Church at 12:00 noon Wednesday, with the Monsignor Michael Minehan serving as celebrant. Internment will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery. A prayer service will precede the Mass at 11:30 a.m. at the Wright-Beard Funeral Home, 9 Lincoln Ave., Cortland. Friends are invited to call from 4 - 8 p.m., Tuesday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to send memorials are encouraged to consider the Nina K. Miller Hospicare Center, 172 E. King Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850.