Catherine "Kitty" Walsh, 90, passed away on March 23, 2017. Kitty was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1927. She immigrated to the United States, through Ellis Island, with her family in 1930. They settled in Brooklyn, New York, where Kitty attended Holy Name of Jesus Elementary School and Bishop McDonnell Memorial High School. During WW II, Kitty and her mother worked for the war effort in a parachute factory. She was motivated to become nurse during high school when a military nurse gave a talk about nursing at her school. After graduating from high school in 1945, Kitty went on to nursing school at Misericordia Hospital School of Nursing (class of 1948) in New York City and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from New York University. Later, while living in Des Moines, Iowa, she obtained her Masters in Nursing from Drake University.
Kitty and Edward Walsh were married in 1950 and moved to Massapequa Park, New York (Long Island). Ed commuted to work at the New York City Fire Department in Brooklyn. They were members of St. Rose of Lima parish. They welcomed daughter Veronica in 1963 and son Edward in 1965. Kitty stayed home with the children and Ed switched from being a fire fighter to the safer position of fire inspector.
Kitty's nursing career spanned more than 50 years, as she worked as a school nurse/teacher on Long Island, NY at Trinity Lutheran School, Hicksville High School; at Meadowbrook Hospital; in ICU/CCU at Holmes Medical Center in Melbourne, Florida; and as an Instructor of Surgical Nursing at Iowa Methodist Medical Center School of Nursing, where she retired in 1992. Even after officially retiring, she taught Nurses Aides at Des Moines Area Community College.
In 1970, Ed retired from the NYC Fire Department after 22 years of service and the family moved to Melbourne, Florida, where Ed did office work for local construction companies and Kitty worked the part time night shift at Holmes Medical Center. She would sleep a few hours after work and then pick the children up from school and make family dinner every night. In Melbourne, they were members of Our Lady of Lourdes parish, where the children also went to elementary school. Both Kitty and Ed spent many volunteer hours at Our Lady of Lourdes church and school. Kitty also was the den mother for Ed's Cub Scout group and the Troup Leader for Veronica's Girl Scout troop.
During the early 1970's, Kitty was a founding member of the South Brevard Right to Life group and participated in the first "March for Life" in Washington DC. She spent many years working to educate people about abortion in Brevard County and later, in Des Moines, Iowa.
In 1979, Ed began a new career after earning a Masters in Sociology. The family moved to West Des Moines, Iowa where Ed worked as a Counselor at Powell III, which was part of Iowa Methodist Medical Center. Kitty began her teaching career at Iowa Methodist School of Nursing, where she was an Instructor of Medical Surgical Nursing, specializing in cardiac care. In West Des Moines, the family belonged to Sacred Heart Parish, where Kitty again volunteered in various groups. She was also a member a local health club, where she met several ladies who formed "the lunch bunch".
In 1998, Kitty agreed to an extended holiday visit to Melbourne, where Veronica was living. A few days after her arrival, she had a stroke. She spent her entire Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year's holidays in Sea Pines Rehabilitation Hospital! Although she had left Melbourne almost 20 years earlier, when they heard of her stroke, she received hospital visits from good friends, Terri Patala and Ruth McCabe: a true testament to enduring friendship! After her stroke, Kitty decided to sell her house in Iowa and move to Melbourne, where she and Veronica eventually built a house together.
Not one to be stopped by adversity, Kitty persevered after her stroke, which paralyzed her right arm and weakened her right leg. She always joked that she was so grateful to have not lost the ability to speak! She learned to drive with one hand, and walked with a cane. She also continued to do her own cooking--all with her non-dominant hand. She joined Ascension parish, where she was an instructor in the RCIA program and helped with the Small Church Community program. She also became a Carmelite in the St. Joseph's Carmelite Community (OCDS). In addition, Kitty was a member of the Red Hats group in Suntree and the Brevard Stroke Club.
Over the years, Kitty suffered many injuries caused by falling. But anyone who knew her knows that she always bounced back from each injury (broken back, broken neck, broken hip, broken shoulder, broken ribs...ugh!). Also, amazingly, she never complained or felt sorry for herself. For her 80th birthday, she got a new car with a scooter and a scooter lift. The scooter helped her get around a little more safely. Eventually, after her shoulder replacement, in the hopes of preventing more falls, Veronica and Rob convinced her to use an electric wheelchair at home too.
In 2013, Kitty moved into the Sonata Assisted Living Resort after sustaining a head injury in a fall off her scooter. The head injury did affect her memory a bit, but she always had the same great personality and positive outlook. She didn't want to give up her independence, but Sonata is a beautiful place and once she took a tour of it, she agreed to move in. Kitty and her family greatly appreciated all the Nurses Aides, Alex in Rehab, and other staff at Sonata (now Discovery Village), as well as the friendships she formed with the other residents.
Kitty was preceded in death by her parents, Alfred and Elizabeth Canning; her brothers, Lawrence and Alfred Canning, and her beloved husband, Edward Walsh. She leaves behind her son, Edward Walsh; daughter-in-law, Valerie; 3 grandchildren, Caitlin, Erin and Connor Walsh; daughter, Veronica Walsh Feltner and son-in-law Rob Feltner.