Virginia M. Walsh

Virginia Martha (Haman) Walsh, 92, died at Arbors Care Center, Toms River, New Jersey on Friday, July 10, 2020 after a long illness. Known to all as Ginny, she was predeceased by her parents Martin Russell Haman and Alberta Schuyler Haman and by her husband of 64 years, William Joseph Walsh, Jr. She is survived by her children, Russell (Cynthia Mershon), Joseph (Pamela), Ruth Ann Molnar (Robert) and The Reverend Eileen P. Walsh. She is also survived by her eight grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. Ginny was born, raised, and educated in Philadelphia and was an original resident of Levittown, PA. Over the years, Ginny had also lived in West Chester, PA, Clearwater, FL, Morrisville, PA, and Toms River.

A homemaker much of her life, Ginny supplemented the family income by working as an Avon Lady. When her children went to college, she joined the workforce, becoming a machine operator at the National Tea Company in Bristol, PA. After the move to West Chester, Ginny worked as a clerk for the Hallmark store there. She approached all her jobs with good humor and honest labor. Ginny made friends easily and cherished the time she had to spend with her many many friends of long-standing. She also enjoyed a good laugh, an Andrews Sisters record, a late-night sausage and mushroom pizza, a Phillies game, and a nightly vodka and soda.

First and foremost, Ginny was a kind, loving, generous, and fiercely supportive mother. Each of her children knew where they stood with her and that was at the center of her life. Woe be to the neighbor, friend, teacher, or other neighborhood child that had something bad to say about one of her kids. When the inevitable transgressions did occur, they were dealt with judiciously and then quickly forgiven and forgotten. Her children, and all the children in the neighborhood, could attest to the feeling of warmth emanating from the home on Farmbrook Drive, when they walked through the side door and into her kitchen. A kind word, a smile, and a Charles Chips pretzel can were always at the ready.

Ginny’s legacy, built with her husband, Bill, is reflected in the lives of her children and grandchildren. All of them are community spirited people who value family, education, good citizenship, and service to others. In her final years, as Alzheimer’s took her farther and farther away from us, she would often ask, “Was I a good mother?” That she most assuredly was.

The family would like to offer a special note of gratitude to the nurses, staff, and administration of the Arbors Care Center for all the kindness and good care Ginny received there. A celebration of Ginny’s life will be held later when the Covid19 pandemic allows it. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Ginny’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association.