Ronald WALSH

Ronald Walsh

1926­-2017

Ronald Walsh died in the early hours of Boxing Day after spending the day at Nanaimo hospital with his eldest daughter and her family around him. Even in his discomfort his firmest wish was not to ruin the Christmas of anyone in his large family. Sharing good times, stories, and vacations with your loved ones is the best way to honour and remember him.

Ron was the youngest child of Florence and John Walsh and grew up in veterans’ housing. From an early age he worked to contribute to his family and community. From delivering liquor on his bike at twelve to helping extinguish incendiary bombs on the roofs of his neighbourhood at fourteen, he always filled his time with productive and fascinating things. Ron joined the military at seventeen and served in the Middle East during World War II; near the end of his career he was proud to return there as a Canadian peacekeeper. He spent a few years working for London transport and, even at 90, seemed to know the tube map backwards and forwards. After his marriage he moved to Canada to work with the Canadian military. His career with the military police took him all over Canada and the world and used all his experience, cleverness, and people skills.

Ron succeeded at all these things, but above all he was a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Ron met Cynthia at a dance put on by the London Irish Rifles when she was twenty and he was twenty-five. Though he worried she was a bit young, she knew they were a match immediately. They went on to share over fifty years of marriage, five children, eight grandchildren, a life full of adventure, and an abiding love and mutual respect observable to anyone around them. They lived in Quebec, Manitoba, France, Holland, Germany, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia and supported each other through everything from language barriers to moving vans not arriving on time. Cynthia died in September 2009, but Ron considered her whenever he gave advice or wrote someone a card, and she was never too far from his mind. Ron and Cynthia’s first child, Roland, died as a toddler, which made watching their remaining four, Chris (Debbie), Jan (Phil), Wendy, and Tom (Loretta), grow up all the more important to them.

Retirement was still a time of excitement for Ron. He continued to travel both to see new places and to visit his growing family. Hawaii was a special favourite of his. Ron always had time for his grandkids and loved to share tales of his exploits with them. His family was always welcome for tea, or a meal, or the week. Ron’s memory and stories will be particularly cherished by his grandchildren: Michael, Regan (Sherry), Lindsay (Josh), Tim (Laura), Marcus (Stephanie), Tyson, Katelynn, and Cas. Getting to know and hear about his great-grandchildren over the last five years has been one of his greatest joys—many of them visited to celebrate his 90th birthday, which meant the world to him. Ron lived at Origin in Nanaimo for the last eight years and made many wonderful friends among the residents and staff there. He is remembered by friends and family members across Canada and England, where he has made an impact as a friend, an uncle, a colleague, a brother, and a mentor.

The family is having a very informal open house on January 5th at Jan’s house, 5489 Westdale Rd. in Nanaimo. Friends are welcome to join them from 3pm onward to share their stories of a life well lived.   

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