James Patrick Walsh

1941 - 2026

James Patrick Walsh, 85, of Ely.
How is it that a city kid who got in more than his share of trouble on St. Paul's Rice Street became a lover of wildlife, woods and water?
Maybe it was his Irish roots. Jim Walsh was the son of immigrants who came to St. Paul from villages just a stone's throw away from Galway Bay. It stands to reason that fishing was part of their family DNA.
But it was likely more than that.
How else do you explain Jim's transformation and maturation? First, from a kid who cut friends' hair for cigarette and beer money. Then to a troubled teen and take-no-guff adult who pummeled foes both in the boxing ring and the barroom. And later still, a thrill-seeker who raced motorcycles and snowmobiles and never met a speed limit he liked.
Jim said years later that the change came thanks to a growing devotion to God, as well as a deepening passion for the world's quiet places – silent forests, limitless oceans and Minnesota's many calm lakes.
Born in St. Paul to Patrick Joseph Walsh and Mary Margaret (Mcdonagh) Walsh, Jim attended grade school at St. Adelbert's, just a short walk from the family's home on Lafond Avenue.
As a teen, Jim learned to box at the St. Paul Police gym. Not only were the lessons he learned helpful in the ring during his amateur boxing career, but learning to use his fists helped Jim better defend himself against the neighborhood toughs that bullied him as a boy. For years afterwards, life was spiced with fisted encounters both in the ring and out. Jim liked to say he never started fights, but he sure knew how to finish them.
A 1959 graduate of Mechanic Arts High School, he confessed he also spent more than a minute at Boys' Totem Town.
Eventually, maturity and family responsibilities helped Jim transition to a calmer life. He spent his early adult years working in a dizzying array of jobs and trades and learned to do most anything, from flipping pancakes to selling vacuums.
He hit his stride as a self-employed businessman launching successful ventures that left his mark across the state – first at the helm of Walsh Decorating in St. Paul and finally operating Walsh Septic in Ely. He was in his 80s when he retired, and only because he could no longer find helpers for his Iron Range septic business.
He married, and divorced, three times – to Linda Boyd, Mary Dean Heimel and Linda Lorch. He was Dad to five children. And he enjoyed travel near and far, from the forests and lakes of Minnesota to his family's home in Ireland. Trips to Canada, Italy, New Orleans, the Caribbean and Costa Rica filled photo albums and fueled a lifetime of stories.
But Jim found his greatest peace and a culmination of a dream at homes on the lakes and in the woods outside Babbitt and Ely. There, this rough-and-tumble guy became a trusted softy, feeding a menagerie of creatures, including deer, birds, chipmunks, fishers and a persistent black bear. Some would come when he called. Some so trusted him, they took food from his palm.
Well, maybe not the bear.
Over the years, a more mellow man excelled at cooking – his guacamole and barbecued ribs were to die for. And he became a voracious reader, especially of the Bible and the novels of Wiliam Kent Kruger.
Three years ago, he realized another dream: buying a liveaboard yacht outside Naples, Fl. He spent hundreds of hours refurbishing it. He didn't have a chance to finish it.
In early October 2025, Jim was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver, lungs and lymph nodes. The Ely home of his longtime friend, Nancy Tubbs, became his sanctuary.
After more than three months in hospice, Jim died on Jan. 16, 2026, at his stepdaughter Angie's home in Woodbury.
Jim is survived by a sister, Mary Patricia (Tony Henderson) Maloney-Henderson; daughter Ann (Paul) Butterfield, son James (Heidi) Walsh Jr., daughter Shannon (Adam) Gold, stepdaughter Angie (Mike) Hauer and several grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Barbara Ann, a brother, Martin and an infant son, John.
Funeral services are pending.