John Walsh

Born in 1927 in Moncton, NB, Jack was the son of the late Waldo (OBE) and Naomi (Hayden) Walsh. He is predeceased by his wife Evelyn (Carpenter) and his older brother, Bob. Survived by his children Robert (Ellie), Shelagh (Peter Macnab), Bruce and Naomi, he was a devoted grandfather and is lovingly remembered by Sarah, Scott, Jessica, Dylan, Sarah Jane, Nicole, and Lauren, as well as by his dear brother Fred, sister-in-law, Mary, and his many nieces and nephews.

Jack went to Le Marchant Street School and Rothesay Collegiate. In summers he worked on farms and in the woods. A volunteer courier for the Air and Sea Wardens in war-time Halifax, he later served on the Merchant Marine Hospital Ship, “Lady Nelson.”

After the war he went to St F. X and then headed west. He worked as a log driver on Howe Sound, surveyed the TransCanada Highway through Kicking Horse Canyon, and was a brakeman through the Rockies “for one terrifying ride.” Jack worked in Banff and Yoho National Parks and in Vancouver, lived in the downtown east side with heroin addicts (“not bad fellows”).

After a stint in Labrador he returned to Nova Scotia, and at a barn dance in Cape Breton he met Evelyn, who became his wife. They moved to Fredericton and after graduating from UNB, he became an engineer with the N.S. Department of Highways. Like many who lived through the war, he saw government as a force for good and as a civil servant, he worked for the people and loved his job.

Jack served on Boards for Western Regional Health Board, the YMCA in Yarmouth and Truro, and was Vice Commodore of the LaHave River Yacht Club. He volunteered for the Arthritis Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Liberal Party, Seniors on Wheels, and many other organizations. He was a Cub Scout leader when his kids were young and a dedicated member of the Legion.

The recipient of the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award, The Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, the Royal Canadian Legion's 75th Anniversary Medal, and the 1939-1945 Volunteer Service Medal With Clasp, Jack was part of a small group who fought a successful campaign on behalf Merchant Mariners, winning compensation and recognition for their wartime effort.

Jack cherished his 53 year marriage to Evelyn and the life they created together. Four kids, seven grandkids, and twenty-three houses later, Jack and Evie embraced family, hard work, community, and boisterous good times. An avid outdoorsmen, Jack loved the woods and spent thousands of hours gardening. After Evie died, Jack moved to the Veterans Unit of Camp Hill Hospital. From there he led a battle against the Town of Bridgewater when it tried to block the sale of his house for people with disabilities. Disabled himself, he applauded when the town relented and his home was named “Compassion House.”

Vice chair of the Veterans Council and chair of the Food Committee, Jack led a campaign to improve food for Veterans at Camp Hill. People rallied to the cause from across the country and it did get better. Jack had tremendous love, gratitude and respect for the amazing staff and volunteers at Camp Hill, who created a home for him and his dear comrades.

Following in Evelyn’s footsteps, Jack has donated his body to Dalhousie University.

Visitation will be held at J.A. Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Dr., Halifax, from 2-4 and 7-9 on Fri., Feb. 27th. Celebration of Life will be held at 1 pm on Sat. Feb 28th at St. Andrew’s United Church, 6036 Coburg Rd. Halifax. Memorial donations may be made to March Of Dimes or the Neurofibromatosis Society of NS at www.nfsns.org or send to 26 Shadar Dr., Glen Margaret, NS, B3Z 0N4