Ruth Gabriele Kirsch

Ruth Gabriele Kirsch peacefully passed away after a brief illness on Tuesday, June 20 with her daughter by her side. She is survived by her daughter Kathleen Sprekelmeyer, granddaughter Michelle Orrock, (Chris), grandson Jeffrey Sprekelmeyer (Trish), sister-in-law, Herta Kirsch, niece Oona Kirsch Herzberg, nephews Peter Kirsch and James Hugh Kirsch, nieces Janet Silber, Linda Silber, Naomi Silber, Deborah Silver, Judith Silver, Susannah Kirsch, nephews Paul Silver and David Kirsch, and great-grandchildren, as well as other nieces, grandnieces and grandnephews. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, John Walsh, MD, her father James I. Kirsch, her mother Eve Gaskell, her stepbrother James Silber, her stepbrother Gerald Silver, her brother Michael Kirsch, her half-brother Thomas Kirsch and niece Nancy Silber. Ruth graduated near the top of her class from Wellesley Law School. She also earned an MSW degree in Clinical Social Work from UCLA, earning a Phi Beta Kappa key. She had a distinguished career as a Clinical Social Worker. While working at UCLA, she met her future husband, John Walsh, who was a resident physician in Neurosurgery there at the time. Ruth was a passionate devotee of opera, and relished every opportunity to attend opera performances. She listened to Mozart music of any sort and listened to Saturday at the Metropolitan Opera House with Walter Slezak every Saturday afternoon. Despite a challenging childhood and early life, she was keenly aware of the needs of her own child and the other children in the family and cared for them all with love. She lived in a very tumultuous time in the world. She was a German /Jewish refugee. She arrived at her father's home in London, England at age 7 from Germany. The family left London in September 1940 for America. After leaving Ellis Island, the family moved to Los Angeles. Ruth graduated high school at 16 years old. She had a brilliant mind. Services were held on Friday, June 23 at 3:00 PM at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home at 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd in New Orleans, LA. The burial will be at Metairie Cemetery. Donations may be made in Ruth's name to the National Holocaust Memorial in Washington D.C. or to the American Red Cross.