Robert J. Walsh

Robert John Walsh (Bob) passed away peacefully to be with the Lord in his Orlando, Florida home on September 6th, 2021 with his wife Cynthia, and daughter, Carolyn, by his side. Faith, family, friendship and service were the pillars by which he lived his life.

Bob was born in Quincy, Massachusetts on September 23, 1940 to John B. Walsh, Jr. and Dorothy (Schroerlucke) Walsh. As a child, Bob was an avid reader and inquisitive learner. He was particularly fascinated by the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. A Boston native, he still found time to cheer on the hometown teams, especially his beloved Boston Red Sox. He remained in the Boston area through college where he studied physics at Northeastern University.

Bob began his career serving as an aerospace engineer with NASA where he worked in flight control. He always became animated, speaking of his exciting time in Houston working on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, particularly his role in the moon landing. His passion for space travel and research always remained one of his primary interests.

He eventually came back to Boston, and returned to his love of academia, studying higher education at UMass-Boston and Northeastern University. He made a career as a college professor and chair of the physics department at Wentworth Institute of Technology for twenty five years. He found that his life's work was best suited cultivating a love of learning, science and curiosity about the natural world among young people.

It was fate that brought him back to New England, and he married Cynthia Horton, at St. Mary's Church in Taunton, MA on June 16, 1979. Their daughter Carolyn Frances was born on July 28, 1985. Some of Carolyn's fondest memories of her Dad from childhood include his role in creating her award winning science fair projects and revising all of her research-papers. He truly was never off the clock. Bob always referred to Cynthia as the "most beautiful woman he'd ever seen," and she always felt he was "the best thing that ever happened to me." Their love was "ageless and evergreen." Despite all of his accomplishments, to the day he died, Cynthia and Carolyn were his whole world.

Upon retirement from Wentworth, Bob and his family relocated to Alexandria, Virginia where he continued to serve in public education for thirteen years. His life was dedicated to service professionally and personally. Bob was a founding member of the St. Vincent DePaul Society's chapter at St. Louis Catholic Church where he spent his spare time shopping for families in need. He had a spirit of generosity and heart of gold, always putting the needs of others before his own.

Bob and Cynthia moved to Orlando in 2009 to join Carolyn, who graduated from the University of Florida, and was attending graduate school at the University of Central Florida. Bob loved his life in Florida the past twelve years, especially his service with the Men's Club at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, where many of his brothers became close friends. He loved hosting game nights, and could get quite competitive over a game of nickels or bunko. Of course, he still made time to cheer on his favorite New England sports teams, as well as Carolyn's Florida Gators. The family adopted Molly the collie, which he found to be a faithful companion during his final years.

Bob had the honor of walking Carolyn down the aisle on May 12, 2018 to wed her husband, Cameron Crandell. In his speech at their wedding, Bob heartfully referred to Cameron as "the son he never had." Most recently, he enjoyed his time spent as "Grandpa" to his two year old granddaughter, Scarlett Cynthia, whom he and Cynthia helped care for during the work week.

For those wishing to pay their respects, the following arrangements have been made to celebrate Bob's life, following the traditional Catholic funeral and burial rites on Friday, September 24th, 2021. The family requests face masks be worn for the visitation, funeral mass and committal service.

Visitation from 9-10am
Newcomer Funeral Home- Winter Park Chapel
3806 Howell Branch Rd, Winter Park, FL 32792

Funeral Mass- 10:30am
Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church
5300 Old Howell Branch Rd, Winter Park, FL 32792

Committal Service- 12pm
Queen of Angels Catholic Cemetery
1901 Queen of Angels Drive, Winter Park, FL 32792

Donations may be made in Bob's name to the following organizations:
Alzheimer's Association

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

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