Damien Xavier Walsh

Damien Xavier Walsh
08/02/2024
On August 2, 2024, Damien Xavier Walsh lost his battle with cancer. The youngest child of the late Judge James and Mary Louise Walsh of Piedmont, loving stepson of the late Dorothy McDonnell Walsh of Montclair and Palm Springs. Damien attended Corpus Christi school followed by study at Woodside Priory before graduating from Piedmont High School. Childhood summers were spent at the family home in Pebble Beach where Damien learned to play golf, while caddying at the famous golf course. He attended UCLA on a soccer scholarship before transferring to UC Berkeley where he earned a degree in English and Classical Antiquities, and was a member of Zeta Psi fraternity, Iota Chapter. After graduating from Cal in the class of 1977, he attended UC Hastings College of the Law where he excelled in tax law, but spent non-academic hours playing rugby with the Hastings Old Boys. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1980, and two years later, married Hastings classmate, Virginia (Patt) Prugh, then a captain in the US Army, Judge Advocate General's Corps. Military assignments took them to Washington D.C. and Washington state, as well as to Germany, France, and Italy before settling in Norfolk, Virginia. Each new assignment meant a new attorney position for Damien. But during their assignment to Paris, Damien added the title of "coach" to his resume. Working with Les Kiowas de Garches, an all-French American football team, his soccer and rugby experience helped the young team move up in league competition. Professionally, Damien was an acknowledged expert in government contracts, fiscal law and intellectual property rights, serving his country in a series of increasingly demanding attorney adviser positions, including at the Naval Research Laboratory; the Office of the Judge Advocate, US Army Vth Corps (Frankfurt, Germany); the Military Sealift Command, (Oakland and Naples, Italy); the Navy Facilities Command Atlantic, and the Joint Forces Command before retiring in 2022 from the Office of the Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. An enthusiastic volunteer, Damien served on the Tidewater (Virginia) Government Industry Council, the Federal Laboratory Consortium, the Department of Defense Technology Transfer Group and was an advisor to Old Dominion University's Institute for Ethics and Public Affairs. He also held numerous positions with First Settlers Porsche Club of America, including President and Concourse Co-chair. While justifiably proud of his many work accomplishments, his real passions were coaching grandson Alex in soccer and golf or anything related to Porsches. As a senior driving instructor at Virginia International Raceways (VIR) for many years, Damien was happiest on the track, driving, coaching others or competing. Affectionately known as "Grand Dude," to his grandson, Damien never met a stranger. He is survived by his wife, Patt (LTC Virginia P. Prugh, US Army, JA retired); daughters, Meaghan and K.C.; and grandson, Alex; beloved by sister, Pam Coakley, and her husband, Peter; brother, Donnell Walsh, and his wife, Wendey; sister and brother-in-law, Stephanie and David Beach; and numerous nieces; nephews; grandnieces; and grandnephews. A memorial mass for Damien will be held at 10 o'clock, on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 560 Graydon Ave., Norfolk, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Wounded Warriors, the USO or a favorite charity. For additional details please visit, www.hdoliver.com