Mary Walsh Abbott

1930 - 2022

Mary Walsh Abbott
May 16, 1930 - May 23, 2022
Kansas City, Missouri - Mary Lawler Walsh Abbot died peacefully at her home in Kansas City, Missouri, after a short illness, at 92. A native of Kansas City, she was born May 16, 1930 to Jerome K. Walsh Sr. and the former Mary Lawler. The eldest of five children, she attended Notre Dame de Scion, Sunset Hill, and Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York.
Her early exposure to the French language and culture led to a lifelong love affair with France and Europe. In the 1950s she traveled to Munich, where she worked as a secretary for the CIA. Soon after, she took a job assisting C.L. Sulzberger at The New York Times Paris bureau. Returning stateside, in 1961 she joined the Washington, DC office of the newly formed Peace Corps. An interest in politics and international affairs led her to subsequent campaign jobs for Democratic candidates in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, and volunteer roles in numerous community and environmental organizations.
In San Francisco, in 1967, she married John W. Abbott, the love of her life, who predeceased her in 1976. Returning to Kansas City in the early 1980s, she worked as an agent with the real estate firm Reese & Nichols for nearly two decades before retiring.
A curious mind, a big heart, and an abiding sense of loyalty characterized her. Relatives and friends felt her encouragement for their endeavors large or small.
She is survived by two stepchildren, Michael and Marion Abbott; three step-grandchildren, Elisabeth Abbott, Emma Bundy, and William Bundy; by her sisters, Michaela Walsh, Sarah McClanahan, and Deirdre Supino; and six nieces and nephews. Her brother, Jerome Walsh, Jr., died in 2016.