William Thomas Walsh November 20, 1919 – May 19, 2019 Share this obituary View/Sign Guest Book| Send Private Condolences| Send Sympathy Card William Thomas Walsh (1919 -2019) William Thomas Walsh, Retired First Justice of Springfield District Court, passed quietly into eternal rest on Sunday, May 19, 2019 at the age of 99. Residing his entire life within a one-mile radius of his family home in North Agawam, Judge Walsh served as a true example of “the Greatest Generation”. Judge Walsh was born on November 20, 1919 to Mary (Quirk) Walsh and William V. Walsh.
His life was emblematic of so many of his peers in North Agawam who were first- and second-generation immigrants to this country. His life was marked by both triumph and tragedy: Judge Walsh’s father died when he was 2. He was raised as an only child by his mother, who worked in the paper mills and brought in boarders to help keep the family home.
He was blessed to have such a dedicated mother, and was also supported by many of his neighbors, friends and their families. Judge Walsh was a lifelong communicant of Saint Thomas the Apostle Church in West Springfield. He attended the Agawam School system where he proved himself a good student and a standout athlete in both baseball and basketball.
He graduated from Agawam in 1937 and entered college at Massachusetts State College, now the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He continued to play sports at the collegiate level throughout his career, serving as captain of the basketball team during his senior year of 1941. Following graduation, he played on a number of semi-professional baseball and basketball teams in the Greater Springfield area, including the Agawam Brownies.
He enlisted in the United States Navy in World War II, achieving the rank of lieutenant, serving in the Aleutian and South Pacific theaters and was honorably discharged in 1945. After his service he attended Boston University School of Law from which he earned his Bachelor of Law and Letters in 1949. He worked as an insurance adjuster and served the Town of Agawam as Veteran’s Agent.
He was also Town Solicitor and Agawam Town Attorney for several years. He established a law practice at Court Square and was a long-time member of the Hampden County Bar Association. Among the many friends he made in sports, law and politics was his close friend, former District Attorney Matthew J. Ryan Jr. In 1958 he was appointed as one of Ryan’s first two Assistant District Attorneys.
In 1963 Governor Endicott Peabody appointed him Associate Judge for Springfield District Court. Judge Walsh was later appointed Presiding Judge of the Court from which he retired in 1986. On the bench he gained a reputation as a fair and patient jurist who upheld the rule of law but understood the condition of human frailty.
In 1978 Boston Magazine named him one of the Best Judges in Massachusetts. The Hampden County Bar Association dedicated an annual award in his name, the “Judge William T. Walsh Sr. Longevity Award” for long-time distinguished service to the Bar. He was the first recipient.
The St. Thomas More Society also honored him for his distinguished service in the law. After retiring from the bench in 1986, Judge Walsh joined the Pellegrini & Seeley law firm in Springfield where he put his courtroom and insurance experience to great use. He greatly enjoyed his time there and was treated very well by his colleagues.
After leaving Pellegrini & Seeley, Judge Walsh heard and decided disputes as an arbitrator through the Hampden County Bar Association until he was 95. In his retirement he fully enjoyed the company of former colleagues from the bench and retired court employees when they would meet for breakfast every month. He was predeceased by his first wife in 1965, the late Barbara A. Granfield Walsh, with whom he had eight children.
He later married Rosalie D. Gentile and together they raised nine children in a large, hectic, and often noisy household in Agawam. Judge Walsh is survived by his devoted and dearest friend, his wife of 51 years, Rosalie (Gentile) Walsh, and their eight children, William T. Walsh, Jr. (Beverly), Nancy J. Bannish (James), Michael P. Walsh (Mary McLaughlin), Caroline E. White (Randall), Katherine M. Bautze (Fredric), Mary C. Walsh (Erik Kimball), Barbara A. Walsh (John Albano) and Christina T. VanDyk (John). Sadly, his eldest daughter, Moira A. Walsh predeceased him in 2005.
He leaves twenty grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. To say that Judge Walsh loved the game of golf is an understatement. He was a long-time member of Springfield Country Club and played in golf leagues at Agawam Country Club, Southwick Country Club and St. Anne’s Country Club.
He was a regular attendee at the annual Tee Party and won numerous golf tournaments, competing against some of the best local golfers in the area. Judge Walsh and Mr. Ryan were playing partners for forty years in the Stockbridge Invitational Golf Tournament. He shot two holes-in-one and was proud that he shot his age from the age of 74 until he stopped playing golf at 95.
The Walsh family would particularly like to thank the staff at Agawam Country Club and his friends in the league for being such a rich of daily friendship and coffee. As the saying goes, you can take the kid out of Agawam, but you can never take Agawam out of the kid. Despite years at college, navy service and law school, Bill Walsh never left Agawam.
The Walsh family is grateful for the many friends in Agawam and Greater Springfield who allowed Judge Walsh to grow, thrive and live such a long and rich life. Family and friends are invited to meet at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 74 Pine Street, West Springfield on Thursday, May 23rd at 10:00am for the Liturgy of Christian Burial followed by burial in St. Thomas Cemetery. Visiting hours will be held at the Agawam Curran-Jones Funeral Home Wednesday, May 22nd from 4:00 – 7:00pm.
For more details please visit curranjones.com. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in his name to the Gray House, 22 Sheldon Street, Springfield, MA 01107. www.
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