Gloria J. Walsh

Gloria Walsh Obituary Hopefully soon, as the colder days move in, we can all warm our feet in a pair of Gloria's famous slippers. She never had a lot of money to spend on gifts but she put her heart and fingers into knitting slippers for everybody in the family. They were all kinds of crazy colors and designs made with whatever yarn she had on hand at the time. She also whipped up a few hats. It was a passion of hers.
Gloria, age 82, whose last real home was her beloved house in Townsend, MA., died on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. She succumbed to Alzheimer's disease while in the capable and caring hands of D'Youville Senior Care in Lowell, MA. Gloria was born in Saint John, New Brunswick on May 12, 1943 to Ronald and Edith Carlin. She was the baby of the family and loved her parents and siblings very much. As the baby, Gloria outlived all of her siblings who included brothers Russell and Delbert Carlin, and sisters Betty Chase, Joan McNeil and Lorraine Loeman.
Gloria met her future husband Merrill A. Walsh (1943-2012) when the two were teens in Saint John, NB. Apparently Merrill would burn through a lot of shoe leather getting across town to see his auburn-haired sweetheart. Together with Merrill's parents, Emily and Bernard Walsh, they migrated to the Boston area taking up residence in Somerville, MA. Merrill and Gloria both found work at Sears-Roebuck in the Kenmore area of Boston. They were eventually wed on October 5, 1963 in Saint John and honeymooned on Prince Edward Island which was famous for another red-headed girl, Anne of Green Gables.
Although they were living on Albion Street in Somerville when first married, they eventually moved into a two-family at 88 Marshall Street, also in Somerville, with Gloria's in-laws. Emily and Bernie were on the first floor and Gloria and Merrill were on the second. Here Gloria and Merrill would start their own family and eventually move to Tewksbury, MA where it was a little easier to let four boys run wild. Many years later, Merrill and Gloria would build a new home in Townsend, MA.
Gloria was the beloved wife of 49 years to Merrill A. Walsh, loving mother to Jeffrey Walsh & wife Catherine of Wilmington, MA, Sean Walsh & wife Anne of Raymond, NH, Michael Walsh and partner Lisa Tavares of Lunenburg, MA, and Kenneth Walsh and partner Susan Hamel of Lowell, MA. Loving "Nanny" to Jared, Cole, Austin & Jack Walsh.
Gloria also had many nieces and nephews locally and north of the border who she would keep in touch with through letters and phone calls. The family and friends in Gloria's life always mentioned her kindness and caring. She will be missed by the many people she touched.
And we can't forget Gloria's furry friends. She had many pets throughout life but her favorite dog had to be Buddy, a lab mix. Gloria and Merrill would always walk him through one of the parks in their rural town of Townsend called Pearl Hill Park. She had a soft spot for him and always kept a photo of him displayed after he was gone.
Family and friends are invited to the Nichols Funeral Home, 187 Middlesex Ave. (Rt 62), Wilmington, for visiting hours on Monday, October 13th, from 5-7 p.m. Memorial donations in Gloria's name can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project at www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
Services

Visitation
Monday
October 13, 2025
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Nichols Funeral Home
187 Middlesex Ave
Wilmington, MA 01887