Carol Walsh
Carol Frances Walsh of Pleasantville passed away suddenly on Aug. 2. She was 82.
Walsh was born on Christmas Day 1937 and was named accordingly. She was the second of three children of Sarah (née Anderson) and Deleon Walsh of Scarsdale (Edgemont). Her older sister, Delsa Wilson, resides in Harpswell, Maine and her younger sister, Diana Losche, lives in Buena Vista, Va.
She was a Bronxville High School (’55) and NYU (‘59) graduate. She received a master’s degree in English from NYU and taught English as a second language at NYU for a number of years. She had a vast vocabulary and took pride in her abilities as a writer. Her writing skills landed her jobs for long stints at Ebasco and later the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as a technical writer. She wrote a short story for children called “The Lonely Thumb,” which was featured on a children’s television show and she published numerous articles on a wide range of topics including a story about kettle holes entitled “The Vernal Pond.”
Carol loved animals, both domesticated and wild, and had an innate curiosity for the natural world. She was married twice and had a child from each marriage. Her older daughter, Gretchen Walsh, also resides in Pleasantville and her son, Andrew Walsh of Montauk, cared for his mother the last nine months of her life and was residing with her at the time of her death.
The role she really cherished was as grandmother to Sarah and Max Parauda. They called her “Poppins” after the Mary Poppins character because of the magic she brought to all her interactions with them. Over the years she read them countless books, including all seven Harry Potter novels, which imbued them with a love of words and learning. Sarah says she was inspired to be a doctor (neurologist) by her grandmother.
Walsh is also survived by her three nephews, David (Florida), Tim (Maine) and Doug Wilson (California), and her cousins, Heyward (Woody) and Roger Turner. She will be interred at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale. A memorial service will be held at Beecher Flooks Funeral Home in Pleasantville on Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. There will be a link to participate via Zoom; anyone wishing to have the Zoom link should e-mail info@beecherflooksfh.com with the preferred e-mail address for the link.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her name to the Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan New York or to Family Services of Westchester.
