‘Best Friend Forever’: Michael and Barry have been best friends for as long as they can remember, and Michael is thankful for him
May 21, 2022
‘She’s My Lobster’: There are not enough words on a page to describe how much Nina means to her husband
May 23, 2022
In the last 90 years, we have seen 16 different presidents in office, multiple moon landings and so much more, but none of these events comes close to matching the significance of the life of one special woman who is turning 90 years old.
Jean E. Walsh was born on May 20, 1932, and since then, she has been making the world a better place one joke and one prayer at a time.
Jean is a strong-willed Catholic woman who has spent so much time instilling the importance of faith into her family over the years.
“Her strength, strong faith and life lessons that she shares with us has made her the most incredible mom ever,” her kids have said. “She has instilled in us all that family is everything. Her childhood was not an easy one and her faith gave her the strength to meet her challenges head on. That alone is the trait I am blessed that she has passed on to us.”
There is nothing more important to Jean than faith, and she has always made this widely known to everyone around her. She would not be the woman she is today without her faith, and her kids realize how important it is to her.
“Both our parents were very faith based,” Jean’s oldest child Linda said. “Their example gave us all something to look at. They always seemed to work it out, no matter what was going on. If there was a problem, there was always a way to fix it.”
This faith was always prevalent in the 55 years of marriage Jean had to her husband Jim.
Until he took his final breath, Jean was always there by Jim’s side, making sure he was taken care of and showing what being devoted to your vows looks like.
“When our dad was ill with lung cancer, it was amazing to see that she was just so strong, so helpful and positive,” Linda said. “All of the kids were all in awe of this and seeing this every day was just huge for us. She still has some friends that she is always checking on. She’s just a really caring person.”
No matter how tough things have gotten in life, Jean has never shown her family anything short of love. She shows compassion in every situation, and she has a strength unlike any other.
Her children have seen firsthand what true selflessness looks like, and they constantly take the many life lessons they have learned from their mom everywhere they go.
“Mom taught us the value of earning our way and was and still is always there for us in times of need with her unconditional love. “So many times, I know that we could not have gotten through some things had she not been there for us. To say we tested her love and patience is an understatement. I know that we would not be here today to celebrate this day, her 90th Birthday, had it not been for her persistent love and belief in all of us.”
Raising five children – and helping raise eight grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren (with an 11th on the way) – is not always easy, but Jean always did it with a smile on her face. She always used her amazing sense of humor to lighten the mood at all times, and her children know they would not be the same without their mom.
Jean lives a charitable, selfless lifestyle, volunteering her time to many causes she believes in. She has always lived by doing and has been a wonderful example and role model for her family, and she is someone they always look up to.
“She is probably the strongest person in our family,” Linda said. “She is a giving person. She is active in her church and our community. Mom is also a family-oriented person, and she always has someone there at her house to spend time with. She is an all-around good person.”
Jean has lived her first 90 years of life always being there for the people all around her, and she has constantly shown people how to give back to those in need.
She is a lovely, loving woman of faith, and her children in particular are very appreciative of everything they have learned from Mom.
She is someone who treats her in-laws as her own family, and she does the same for everyone else she cares about, and she has always made an impact on so many people.
“To the world you are a mother, but to your family and friends you are the world,” Danny said.
The Walsh heritage would be inherently different without Jean in it, and the entire family is lucky to call her Mom, Grandma and everything in between. She is loved and she is appreciated beyond belief.
“Mom,
Without you, all of us would not be who we are today.
We love you,
Linda, Kathie, Jimmy, Danny, Marybeth and all the kids.”
