Donald Edward Walsh

A life filled with love, hard work, devotion to family, friends and faith ended on Dec. 23, 2013 when Donald (Don) E. Walsh of Peoria, AZ, passed away due to complications from Parkinson's. Don was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. He was born Nov. 25, 1933 to the late Stephen and Florence Walsh in Valley Falls, RI. He attended Univ. of Rhode Island where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and won numerous track and field awards. He received his BA in Industrial Mgmt in 1956. Don continued his education with specialized courses at URI along with additional studies at Univ. of Colorado and Univ. of Kentucky. He was a highly respected leader in the human resources community for many years. Don started his career in E. Providence, RI as Dir. of Civil Defense and Personnel, he was the first person to serve E. Providence in these capacities. The remaining years in Don's career were spent in Phoenix with the exception of three years as the first personnel director of Kettering, OH. Don's distinguished 32 year career with the City of Phoenix was marked by a commitment to the community, problem solving skills, and his clever Irish wit.He helped found the AZ Chapter of the International Public Management Association (IPMA) in 1986 and became its first president. In 1988 the IPMA established the Donald E. Walsh Scholarship Program designed to provide college human resource management students with registration to and expenses for attendance at an annual IPMA conference. Don retired as the Personnel Director in 1998 but continued his contributions to the city as a consultant, He is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Betty; daughter Donna and her husband Chris from San Diego; grandson Michael Christopher from Phoenix; two great grandsons Zander and Devlin also from Phx; sisters Nancy Laferriere (James) of Hilton Head, SC and Joanne Haggerty (Robert) of North Attleboro, MA; brother Daniel (Mary) Walsh of Fort Meyers, FL along with numerous nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death were his daughter Colleen; son Donald Michael; parents, Stephen and Florence; and brother Stephen. Don was loved by many and will be remembered as a caring, giving and generous man who always wanted to make sure those around him were happy and taken care of. Don was a devout Catholic and member of Knight's of Columbus. Visitation will be Sunday, December 29, 2013 from 5-8pm at Chapel of the Chimes, 7924 N. 59th Ave., Glendale. A funeral mass will be held at 10am Monday December 30, 2013 at St. Elizabeth Seton, 9728 W. Palmeras Dr., Sun City immediately followed by reception. Burial will take place at 1:30pm at Resthaven Park Cemetery, 6450 W. Northern Ave., Glendale. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Muhammed Ali Parkinson's Center, Barrow Neurological Institute, 240 W. Thomas Road, Suite 301, Phoenix, AZ 85013, www.donate.supportstjosephs.org and select Muhammed Ali Parkinson's Center from the drop down menu in the section titled "Designation".