A brother dead

and brothers mourning

Fill the heart

with grief today,

And the earnest

grasp fraternal;

Speaks, “a dear one

passed away.”

Yes, no longer

we shall greet thee

In the halls of DKE,

Yet thy name

in sweet remembrance

Graven on

our hearts will be.

We have parted,

Brother, parted,

As we trust, to meet again,

In a full unbroken circle,

Free from sorrow,

grief and pain.

JOHN A. "JACK" WALSH, OMICRON

Cdr. John A. "Jack" Walsh USNR (retired), 87, died at The Toledo Hospital on Monday, February 20, 2006, of complications from an extended illness. He was surrounded by his entire family.

John was born in Detroit, Michigan, on July 23, 1918. He was a graduate of The University of Detroit High School where he was an all-state tackle on two championship teams, and The University of Michigan where he also played football and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon.

He was commissioned into the United States Navy in 1941. He served as a Naval Commander in the North Atlantic and in the South Pacific until his ship, The USS Walke, was sunk at Salvo Island during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. Though suffering from multiple severe injuries, he saved over 16 members of his crew. For his valor, he was awarded the Navy-Marine Corps Medal for Heroism and the Purple Heart.

In 1942 he married Marion Audrey Lyons in the Our Lady's Chapel at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame, St. Joseph, Indiana. When his career in the Navy ended, he moved back to South Bend, Indiana, where he resided until 1999. He retired from The First Bank & Trust (now 1st Source Bank) in 1983. He was very active in community affairs, receiving the Key Man Award from the Chamber of Commerce. He then spent 16 years as a volunteer at the Hesburgh Library at the University of Notre Dame where an endowed collection of military history (The John A. and Marion L. Walsh Library Endowment of Military Science) has been established in his honor.

In 1999 John relocated to live with his son (Mike) and family in Ottawa Hills, Ohio, and then to Kingston Residence in Sylvania, Ohio. In his usual fashion, he endured extreme pain during his final illness in a quiet rectitude. John will always be remembered as a loving, kind man with a strong sense of duty and honor -- a true officer and gentleman.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Francis M. and Helen Frances (Fluskey), and his brother, Andrew. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marion (Lyons); son, F. Michael (Lillian) Walsh, M.D. (Ottawa Hills, Ohio); daughter, Patrice E. (Steve) Weingart (San Antonio, Texas); and sister, Sarah Heaney (East Chatham, New York). He is also survived by his five loving grandchildren, Brian (Karen) (San Francisco, California), Joseph, Kevin, Tim and Marissa (Ottawa Hills, Ohio).

The family wishes to extend its deep appreciation to the staff at Kingston Residence Sylvania and the nurses at the Terhune Pavilion of the Toledo Hospital for their compassionate care.

A memorial service will be held at Kingston Residence in Sylvania, Ohio, on Monday, February 27, at 1:30 p.m. An additional service will be held in South Bend, Indiana, at a future date.

Commander Walsh will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with military honors.