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- Deceased's name: Joseph G. Walsh
- Age: 50
- Date: June 6, 2012
- Hometown: Newton and St. Paul, Minn.
- Survived by: Beloved wife Ann; brothers John and wife Jane and their children Elizabeth and Evan of Westwood, William and wife Grace and their children Bill Jr. and wife Wen and Jesse of Hull, and his twin brother Gregory of Houston, TX and Buzzards Bay
Joe was also survived by in-laws Deborah of Bourne, David and Aleda Harrington of St. Peter, Minn., Bruce Harrington and wife Elizabeth and their daughter Claire of St. Paul, Minn., and Linda Christian and husband Chris of Blanco, Tex.; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
He was preceded by his parents and his brother Michael.
Joe was born and raised in Newton as the fourth son of parents John F. and Teresa (O’Grady) Walsh. He graduated from Newton South High School, where he participated in sports, theatre and student government. Joe won the senior cup at his NSHS graduation in 1980. At the University of Chicago he was elected president of the student body and acted in many plays. A history major, Joe also worked in development for the Chicago Historical Society before completing his education at Cardozo School of Law in New York, N.Y.
He was practicing copyright and trademark law in 1995 when he met his soul mate, Ann Harrington, on an Amtrak train between New York and Boston. Joe made her laugh that day and every day since. They married in 2001 and settled in Brooklyn, NY, where he became deeply involved in presidential campaigns. When Ann had the opportunity to return to her home state of Minnesota in 2005 to work for the Pioneer Press, Joe embraced St. Paul as his own.
He played softball for St. Lukes Catholic Church (now St. Thomas More), acted in a community theatre production, and joined William Mitchell College of Law as Assistant Director of Admissions, where he became a tireless ambassador for the school. Diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2008, Joe was determined not to be defined by his illness. He continued to work until the end, and devoted much of his last months to family and friends and his precious cats, Seamus and Dean.
A memorial service was held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, June 15 at House of Hope Presbyterian Church, 797 Summit Ave., St. Paul with visitation from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at OHalloran & Murphy, 575 South Snelling Ave., St. Paul. A service in the Boston area will be announced later. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Chicago, William Mitchell College of Law, or the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Sign his guestbook at legacy.com.
