George Walsh

George Walsh, 71, of Westminster, CA, passed away on January 8, 2024, after a 2 ½ year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born on May 8, 1952, in Boston, MA, to the late Leo James Walsh and Mary Eleanor Walsh. George enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from Dorchester High School and proudly served for 8 years. He studied engineering at West Valley College and the University of Alaska, and business at California State University, Long Beach.

George was a dedicated family man and leaves behind his beloved wife of 27 ½ years, Anne (Joseph) Walsh, his daughter, Kimbale LaVerne (Brandon), and three grandchildren, Autumn, Knickson, and Makinley Gries. He is also survived by his sister Doris Prendable, sister Diane Barry, sister Donna Walsh, brother James Walsh, nieces Kristine Doyle and Riley Walsh, and nephews Paul Barry, John Walsh, and Shaun O’Brien. George was preceded in death by his mother, father, sister Eleanor, twin brother Johnny, nephew Brian, and all 8 of his beloved fur babies.

George was generous to a fault, giving everything he had to others without ever expecting anything in return. He was incredibly likable, and loveable, and his dry sense of humor ensured he was always surrounded by laughter. George’s deep love for his dogs, his wife, his company, and his car, “The G90,” was obvious to all as his everyday topics of conversation. He took great pride in building Walsh Paper Distribution (WPD) from the ground up over the past 17 years with his business partner, Benjamin Victor. He was thrilled to reach his goal of seeing their new machine, a 110-foot-long sheeter, become operational this year, thanks to his loyal employees who worked tirelessly while he was in the hospital. Prior to WPD, George spent 30 years, primarily in sales, at Paterson Pacific Parchment (Paterson Paper). He was a well-respected expert in the paper industry, with a knowledge of parchment that was unmatched.

In his free time, George enjoyed weightlifting and sharing stories about “muscle camp.” He was a kid at heart and enjoyed treating family to Disneyland, Las Vegas, and more. He loved woodworking and power tools and transformed the garage into his workshop. He was an avid YouTube surfer, watching physics lectures, construction videos, and anything about animals, whether on his giant projection screen in his giant office or on his laptop in his hospital bed (the nurses even nicknamed him “Laptop Guy”).

DoorDash-ing was a recent favorite pastime; he ordered everything from a turkey sandwich to a week’s worth of Persian food, and even a dozen individually packaged slices of cheesecake (because the whole cheesecake wasn't served with all that extra whipped cream). George was a movie buff and subscribed to every streaming service, indulging in sci-fi, fantasy, and supernatural show binges while eating giant bowls of popcorn. He also enjoyed all types of music, especially his favorite artist Enya, often listening while napping in his recliner wearing one of his many sleep masks.

A ceremony to honor George’s life will be held at Westminster Memorial Park, located at 14801 Beach Blvd, Westminster, CA. Viewing is scheduled for January 29 from 5 - 8 pm, with the celebration of life on January 30th at noon.

George's love for dogs extended beyond his own; he was an avid supporter of several dog and pet rescue organizations, with a dream of building his own animal rescue ranch someday. In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested to the dog and pet rescue organizations that were close to George's heart: Asher House https://www.theasherhouse.com/, Hope for Paws https://www.hopeforpaws.org/, Love Bugs https://www.lovebugsrescue.org/, and WAGS https://wagspetadoption.org