Robert S. Walsh

1951 - 2022

Robert S. Walsh
December 18, 2022
Robert Stephen Walsh (Bob) died Sunday, December 18, 2022, in West Haven, Connecticut, after a brief illness. He was 71.
The Bridgeport native attended Sacred Heart School and Notre Dame High School, where he played on the football team. His love of the sport evolved into becoming a lifelong fan of the Dallas Cowboys.
An Air Force veteran who graduated from Sacred Heart University with a degree in business education, Bob retired after a long career in fiscal management that included Trailblazer/Denali (Guilford), Micro Warehouse (Norwalk), and Waldenbook (Stamford).
Bob was also well known as a Bridgeport City Councilmember. For 16 years (1995-2011), his feisty guardianship of doing what was right for his hometown earned him the moniker of "Troll." He took the nickname as a badge of honor, saying, "The sense of entitlement has always been a problem with politics here." The son of a Bridgeport firefighter, he passionately advocated for a tax abatement to spouses of firefighters and police officers who died in the line of duty. He also served on the Board of Directors of Water Pollution Control and the Fire Commission.
He left politics when he met Judith Verrillo, whom he attributes to having changed his life. He cherished his role as GrandBob to Vincent Parker Verrillo, Isobel Verrillo and Hamish Verillo, Judith's grandchildren. Together, they shared a passion for history, reading, walking, and traveling.
Survivors include Judith Verrillo (Branford); sister Patricia Walsh (Fort Myers, Florida); nieces Jennifer Thibodeau (Worchester, Massachusetts), Sarah (Charles) Hamlyn (Wells, Maine), Erin McKeon (Stratford); nephew James Walsh (Wells, Maine); stepsons Sergio (Lindsey) Verrillo (London, England); Zoltan (Jackie) Verrillo (Hamden); brother-in-law Miki (Cindy) Repasi (Dunnellon, Florida); grandchildren Vincent Parker Verrillo (Hamden); Isobel and Hamish Verrillo (London); several grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins; and countless friends.
He was predeceased by his parents James Arthur and Mary Juliana Collins Walsh (Bridgeport); siblings James A. Walsh Jr. (Wells, Maine); Eileen Walsh Wallin (Bridgeport); Katheen Walsh McKeon (Stratford), and Emmett Walsh (Bridgeport).
The visiting hours are Wednesday evening, December 28th, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the W. S. Clancy Memorial Funeral Home, 244 North Main Street, Branford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. John Bosco Parish at St. Mary Church, 731 Main Street, Branford, Thursday morning at 10:00. Burial will follow in Branford Center Cemetery. For directions and online memorial see www.wsclancy.com.