Mrs Mary L. (O'Connor) Walsh

Devoted to her husband, her family and her faith

WATERBURY – Mary L. (O’Connor) Walsh, age 81, of Waterbury, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at Waterbury Hospital, after a brief illness, She was the loving wife of Patrick Walsh.

Mary was born on August 31, 1941, in Waterbury, the daughter of the late Patrick and Catherine (Houlihan) O’Connor. She grew up in Waterbury, graduated from Waterbury Catholic High School, and earned her Bachelor’s degree, Masters degree, and Sixth-Year Certificate from Southern Connecticut State College. She began her teaching career as an elementary school teacher for the City of Waterbury at Chase School. She then became a Reading Consultant and held this position at several schools including Slocum, Carrington, Bunker Hill and Regan School. She retired after 35 years of dedicated service in education in 1998. Proud of her Celtic heritage, Mary was a woman of strong faith and a longtime parishioner of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Mary was a caring, genuine and gracious person who loved everyone she knew. She enjoyed Irish music, Irish dances, playing cards, reading, sudoku and phone calls with family and friends. She enjoyed traveling and took many trips to Ireland to see extended family as well as several trips to Plainville, MA, Delaware, the Jersey Shore, and Cape Cod. A recent highlight that she cherished was the Walsh/Kennealey Family Reunion this past Easter. Most of all, she loved spending time with her five grandsons and always enjoyed watching them play baseball, football, basketball and soccer. In addition, she spent many years of her retirement planning parties and get-togethers with family and friends and coordinating reunions with her co-workers.

Our family thanks you, Mom, for the many sacrifices you made for us, for the thousands of hugs you shared with us and the unconditional love you instilled in all of us. Her life was a blessing, her memory a treasure, she was loved beyond words and will be missed beyond measure.

Left to honor her legacy and cherish her memory, besides her loving husband, Patrick, of 57 years, are her children: Cathy Ohlson and her husband, Tom of Plainville, MA, and James Walsh and his wife, Karen, of Southington. Mary and Patrick were blessed with 5 adoring grandchildren; Sean, Christopher, Ryan, Jack and Quinn, her sister Kathleen Kennealey and her husband, Dr. Gerard Kennealey of Wilmington, DE, as well as several beloved in-laws, nephews, nieces, and cousins.

Funeral services for Mrs. Walsh will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. when a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, SS. Peter and Paul Church, 67 Southmayd Rd., Waterbury, CT 06705. Those planning to attend are kindly asked to meet directly at the church. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery. Relatives and friends may visit with the Walsh family on Friday, June 2, 2023, from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. at Casey’s Eastside Memorial Funeral and Cremation Care, 1987 East Main St. @ Southmayd Rd., Waterbury, CT 06705. To honor Mary’s memory donations to Holy Land – Waterbury at https://www.holylandwaterbury.org/ways-give would be greatly appreciated by her family. Loving-kindness is always welcome, and it only takes a moment to offer a message of condolence, words of comfort, or share a memory with the family and friends of someone important to you. Please visit the funeral home’s tribute page at www.caseyfunerals.com to do so.