James P. Walsh

Born in the immediate aftermath of The Great Depression to William and Edna Walsh in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, he was inquisitive, outgoing, adventurous, studious and fun-loving from the start. After graduating from Alexander Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, Jim volunteered for the Air Force. He was sent to San Francisco and then Korea, where he flew third seat in transport planes for love of country in the Korean War.

After serving valiantly, he returned to NYC and proposed to his childhood sweetheart, Barbara Ruggiero. They embarked on a beautiful, loving, dance-filled partnership of 53 years, raising four children along the way and welcoming six grandchildren into the world. Jim would often say the key to his marriage was keeping in mind that it’s better to be happy than right. A wise man indeed!

Jim was a dedicated, hardworking, talented aircraft mechanic. He began his private aviation career with American Airlines in Philadelphia, then relocated to Boston, where he was promoted to lead mechanic in short order. He loved the challenges of getting the big birds in the air safely.

In 1972, Jim, with the blessing of his family, moved his family to Coral Springs, Florida and began a new career with The Federal Aviation Administration as an inspector. He took great care and respect in not only overseeing that airlines flew safely, but also in investigating crash sites, such as the tragic Flight 401 that went down in the Everglades.

Jim stayed with the FAA until the age of 60 whereupon he retired and started his own consulting business as a federally Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR). Remarkably, Jim ran his business until the age of 80. He was highly regarded and sought after in the field.

Jim was the original MacGyver and could build or fix just about anything. One day his kids came home from school to an ice skating rink he had built in the backyard! He was never without a pencil, notepad, tool kit, and, of course, duct tape.

Jim was predeceased by the love of his life, Barbara Ann Ruggiero and his eldest son and namesake James Patrick Walsh, Jr. He is survived by his adoring children, Donna (Rich), Rocky (Jeannie) and Joseph, grandchildren, Ryan, Tyler (Jaime), Emily, Audrey, Aidan and Seamus and great-granddaughter Rayanna.

A lifelong and devout Catholic, Jim’s memorial mass will be held at St. Lucy’s Catholic Church in Highland Beach, FL on Saturday, February 6th at 1PM. An interment will follow at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Cemetery in North Lauderdale.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that donations be made to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America donate.lls.org , Ample Harvest www.ampleharvest.org or Health in the Hood www.healthinthehood.org .