Joan Walsh

Joan (Oliver) Walsh
Joan (Oliver) Walsh, 94, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, passed away peacefully at home Friday, September 5, 2025, surrounded by family. Joan was the loving wife of the late Gordon L. Walsh, Jr. She was born on February 5, 1931, in Albany, New York, a daughter to Raymond Oliver and Johanna (Corbet) Oliver, where she was also raised along with her five siblings. After graduating high school, she began her career as a telephone operator with the New York Telephone Company, a role she held with pride and dedication.
In the mid-1950s, a chance blind date arranged by George "Bear" Meany, a close Army friend of her future husband, would change the course of her life. Joan met Gordon L. Walsh, Jr., then working with Aetna Life & Casualty in Schenectady, New York. The two quickly fell in love, and on June 9, 1956, they were married, beginning a partnership that would span some 66 years until her beloved husband passed away on August 12, 2022.
The couple's early years were spent in Albany and Schenectady, where they welcomed their first three children: Kevin, Susan, and Sharon. A career transfer soon brought the family to Montvale, New Jersey, where Joan and Gordon's family grew with the addition of Karen and Michael. By 1965, the Walshes settled in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where Gordon joined the family's real estate and insurance agency, and where Patrick and Christopher were born, completing the family of seven children.
Life in Ridgefield became the heart of Joan's story. She and Gordon raised their children in a warm and lively home, first on Walnut Grove Road, then Old Branchville Road, before returning to a smaller residence in their later years on Stebbins Close. After years devoted to raising her family, Joan later joined the family business, bringing her strong work ethic and unwavering kindness into the Agency's daily operations.
Joan will always be remembered for her devotion to her Catholic faith, her family, her steady presence, and her quiet strength. She built a life filled with love, laughter, and resilience, creating a home where traditions thrived and memories that will never be forgotten. Joan's Catholic faith was a cornerstone of her life. For many years, she served as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Mary's Church in Ridgefield, and she faithfully spent Monday evenings in prayer at the parish's Adoration Chapel. Her quiet devotion and steadfast service were an example to her family and community. She was a talented quilter and enjoyed the art of ceramics, crafting beautiful pieces that became cherished keepsakes for her loved ones.
She was predeceased by her loving husband, her son-in-law, Charles Hodges, her parents, her sisters, Leanora Oliver and Marion Kirby, brothers, Raymond Oliver, James Oliver and Charles Oliver. She is survived by her brother John Paul Oliver, cousin Marie Corbet Peterson, her seven children, Kevin Walsh (Dina), Susan Bartolucci (Fred), Sharon Hodges, Karen Reale (Bruce), Michael Walsh (Patricia), Patrick Walsh (Kathleen), and Christopher Walsh (Elizabeth), her 16 adoring grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Her legacy will live on in the values she instilled, the family she nurtured, and the countless lives she touched with warmth and grace.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. in Saint Mary's Church, 55 Catoonah Street, Ridgefield. Interment will take place privately, there will be no calling hours. Contributions in Joan's memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, http://www.alz.org