Lillian I. Walsh

Camera....Christmas....Cookies....Cards....Church....Collectibles....Classic movies....

Children (her own, "grands" and "great-grands")

These are only some of the ways we'll lovingly remember "Grandma Lil" - Lillian I. Walsh

In November, 1930, Lillian ("Lil") Irene Stankovich was born in Perth Amboy, NJ to a family of Czech/Slovak and Ukrainian immigrants. Her father, Theodore "Ted" Stankovich, worked at various local businesses, and her mother, Katherine (Melnick) Stankovich, was a homemaker who took care of Lil, her older brother Ted and her younger sister Jane. They lived in an apartment in the Budapest section of Perth Amboy, where Lil had many friends, some who were life-long. She attended Perth Amboy Public Schools, and was a member of the Perth Amboy High School Class of 1947.

Upon graduation from high school, Lil worked as a secretary at National Lead Industries in Sayreville, NJ. Her family moved to a house in Metuchen, NJ, where she lived until she married James "Jim" Walsh in May, 1954. In 1957, they progressed from an upstairs apartment in Perth Amboy, to their own suburban split-level house in the “far-away land” of Hazlet, NJ, accompanied by daughter Diane and son Allen, ages 2 and 1. Seven years later, they were joined by daughter Nancy.

Lil not only raised her children, cooked great meals, and kept her house "white glove" spotless, she also did many household chores for her parents, since her mother was ill and unable to do so. The Walsh backyard and screened-in patio were always full of the neighborhood kids, and there were many good times with a pool, games, outdoor eating, and Pudgy and Pepper the dogs. Lil often brought out fruit or homemade orangeade for the kids. She loved flowers, and she had gardens and plants in each of her homes. Lil also provided "TLC" and nursing care to her mother-in-law, Betty, after multiple surgeries, her daughter Diane, during her short-lived skiing career, and other family illnesses and injuries. Lil's kids loved to spend time with her baking cookies, going shopping, decorating for Christmas, and watching the Mets (where Nancy's somewhat obsessive love for the Mets originated from).

Upon the arrival of her first grandchild in 1984 (John), Lil took on the role of full-time babysitter from mid-1985 to mid-1987. Lil and Jim left Hazlet in 1987 and moved to Toms River, NJ. John sometimes visited on weekends, where he was introduced to beloved Jersey Shore activities such as fishing and spending time on the boardwalks. More grandchildren arrived in March 1988 (Katie), August 1990 (Stephen) and November 1991 (Lauren). They lived around the corner, so there were frequent visits and lots of fun! Lil and Jim started their tradition of attending many of their grandchildrens' activities -- school events, sports, graduations, etc. When Jim retired in 1995, he and Lil were able to do some of the traveling they always wanted to do, including a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth 2, trips to Slovakia and Central Europe, Disney World, Ireland, and Italy, which was Lil's favorite.

Lil was the original "Walsh Woman with Camera" (continued by Diane and then Katie). She never joined the "digital revolution", and her kids were still searching stores for rolls of film as recently as last month. She always made copies of prints and distributed them to family members, with the names/place/date on the back of each one. Her next favorite things on film were Turner Classic Movies, which she watched faithfully and could provide detailed plot summaries for. Other TV favorites included Figure Skating, Dancing with the Stars, The Bachelor/Bachelorette (which she discussed at length with Nicole), and of course the Mets (although a Milwaukee Brewers player, Christian Yelich, is her favorite, since he looks like her grandson Stephen). She also enjoyed a brief stint as a NJ Nets fan (late 1990s - early 2000s), when basketball player Keith Van Horn resembled her grandson John.

In 1998, Lil and Jim moved to The Fairways at Lake Ridge. They spent many good times with their neighbors, joined the bocce league and attended St. Luke’s Church in Toms River. New grandchildren joined the clan in 1997 (Nicole) and 1999 (Ryan), and they were often found visiting, taking walks together, and rolling down the hills (the kids only!) The entire family spent time on the boardwalks, at backyard picnics and parties, and of course, at Christmas!

In spite of Lucy's claim in "A Charlie Brown Christmas", she was NOT the "Christmas Queen" -- Lillian Walsh was! Not only was her own house overflowing with decorations, she provided enough for her kids to decorate their own houses over the years. She loved to visit everyone's house to "see their tree". One of her most endearing qualities was how she was always thinking of her family, and what they would like. The highlight of our Annual Walsh Christmas Get-Together was the opening of Grandma's "goodie bags", which she probably started working on in January. They were filled with candy, toys, jewelry, socks and other items reflecting her love. Steve's snowman collection is quite impressive, and anything Giants-related would go to Ryan. We have many Christmas towels, stuffed animals and collectible angels to remember her by. Grandma's cookies were always a big hit, especially pinwheels (Al's favorite) and spritz cookies made with a press. I still hear from Hazlet friends about how great her cookies were! From over 50 years ago! Her love of cookie baking was shared by Lauren, and they had many great times baking together in recent years.

Jim passed away in November, 2019, and Lil moved from the Fairways house to a senior apartment in Toms River in March 2020. She liked the apartment and adjusted quickly, even though organized activities were cancelled due to Covid-19, and only 1 or 2 family members could visit at a time. She was surrounded by some of her favorite things -- plants, collectibles and photo albums, and her TV Guides were filled with movies and favorite shows, underlined or highlighted. She still thought about her family constantly, and provided shopping lists of things for us to buy for the kids. She continued her tradition of sending special cards to each family member for birthdays, Easter, Christmas and other occasions. She loved receiving phone calls from her family and friends.

Lil became a great-grandmother on November 15, 2019 with the arrival of Tyler and then again on November 22, 2019, with the arrival of Ava. She was able to enjoy Tyler in person, but since Ava lives on the West Coast, she became a big FaceTime fan. Weekends were something to look forward to when she could see Ava (and John!) on Diane's I-Pad. It was wonderful to see the joy on her face!

In spite of the restrictions during the last 9 months of her life, Lil maintained her positive attitude and hopes for the future. She was able to go out for rides to local areas, enjoy some backyard picnics, and attend Tyler's Baptism and 1st Birthday party. We held a 90th Birthday surprise party for Lil on October 17. A little early, but we wanted to be able to spread out and sit outside. We were blessed with a beautiful day. She was very surprised, and we will always remember how happy she was that day!

The Lord needed Lil to decorate the Christmas trees in Heaven, so he called her home on December 14, 2020. We are heartbroken, but we will always remember how genuine, sweet and caring she was, and how much she loved us all!

Lil was predeceased by her devoted husband, James "Jim" Walsh, in 2019, and her parents, Katherine (Melnick) Stankovich and Theodore "Ted" Stankovich, in 1978 and 1994. She was also predeceased by her brother Ted Stankovich and her brother-in-law William Dwyer. She is survived by her sister, Jane (Stankovich) Dwyer, her children, Debbie, Joe and John, and their families.

The "loves of her life" – children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are: Diane Walsh and husband Joseph “Joe” Polinsky. Diane’s son John Penning and wife Julie, and daughter Ava. Joe’s sons Douglas and Jeffrey Polinsky and grandchildren Jacob, Emma, Lilly and Brandon.

Allen Walsh and wife Mary, their son Stephen Walsh, their daughter Lauren Walsh, their daughter Katie Salnick and husband Michael, and son Tyler.

Nancy Jenks and husband Danny, their daughter Nicole Jenks and son Ryan Jenks.

During our grandmother's (Betty Walsh) funeral in 1991, a family member who is a priest, Msgr. Eugene Rebeck, said something to this effect: "This generation made us the good people we are, and they are passing away. God is saying "Good job, Betty"!" I would like to think He is now saying "Good job, Lil"! Let's keep it going - let's be a new generation of good people, so our children can follow in our footsteps! Lil will be so proud!

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, all services will be for immediate family only. If anyone has memories or photos of Lil that they would like to share with the family, please contact Diane at [email protected]. Thank you all for the love you had for Lil!