James Francis Walsh

James Francis Walsh passed away on December 12, 2025, at North York General Hospital. A lifelong Torontonian, Jim was born on October 23, 1938, to Francis and Norma (née Hurley).

He was predeceased by his parents as well as his brother, John, and his sisters, Aileen (Moore), Patricia (Holmes), and Helen (McCarthy). He is survived by his brother-in-law, John Moore and several generations of nieces and nephews.

Jim will be remembered for his smile, boisterous humour, generosity of spirit, and unwavering dedication to his family, friends and faith.

Jim held a deep conviction in the power of education, which led him from a Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University to a Master of Education from the University of Toronto and an accomplished working life.

Throughout his career, Jim was known for his steady leadership, commitment to inclusive education, and deep care for the well-being and potential of every student. He spent 35 years at the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

He began his career as a classroom teacher, then shifted into Special Education as a resource teacher in the Deaf Education Department. Later, he worked as an assessment teacher before moving into school administration, serving as a vice principal at St. Helen Catholic School and later as a principal at St. Mary Portugal Square, Stella Maris, and Holy Rosary Catholic School. “One thing I learned early in my career was not to yell. The kids only get louder.”

Jim was also a lecturer at both the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and York University. He taught both students and teachers.

An enthusiastic athlete and a regular at University of Toronto’s Hart House fitness centre, Jim had a passion for skiing and running, inspiring several nephews and nieces to follow in his tracks and footsteps. He had a seasons pass at Horseshoe Valley and hit the slopes at Dagmar too, with time on the slopes at Mont Tremblant and Mont-Sainte-Anne as well.

Jim was particularly proud of participating in the Terry Fox Run year after year and encouraged many others to do so.

At the age of 16, Jim spent a summer working in Lake Louise, which sparked an enduring love for travel that led later to repeated visits to Hawaii and Florida, in search of the surf and sun, and overseas to Ireland, the UK, Israel and China among other destinations. He was endlessly curious about the world.

Jim also loved to garden, to catch the latest movie and to chat about politics whether local, provincial, federal and international. He rarely lacked for an opinion.

A cup of tea was never far from reach, nor was his iPhone.

Jim was captivated by the allure of winning the lottery — north or south of the border, he was very open-minded about it — and talked about how he would share his win with family, friends and the needy and perhaps buy a business or two. In one note: “P.S. I didn’t win the 649, next time for sure … the Powerball is $192 million tonight. Miracles do happen.”

He embraced with great enthusiasm his Irish heritage, and was always keen to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. He often referred to himself using his Irish name Seamus.

In his early working days, Jim had a Volkswagen Bug and later a beloved Camaro before shifting to a Honda coupe. He was always stylishly dressed. If it was made of cashmere, you could probably find at least one of it in his closet.

Jim was a devoted son, brother, uncle, and great-uncle. Always ready to listen with kindness, he brought warmth and wit to family gatherings from small to large. He is survived by 14 nieces and nephews, and many more grand-nieces and grand-nephews, and great-grand-nieces and great-grand-nephews.

Jim’s final years were made more comfortable by the loving care of his personal support workers, Imelda, Nilo and Edna.

Visitation will take place on Thursday December 18 from 7pm to 9pm at Paul O’Connor Funeral Home. A funeral mass will be held on Friday December 19 at 11am at Precious Blood Church in Scarborough. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Thornhill.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim’s memory may be made to The Angel Foundation for Learning. The foundation helps feed more than 70,000 students across Toronto daily, offers care for families in crisis, nurtures student leaders and provides a range of student awards.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam — May his soul be at God’s right hand.