Mary Lou Walsh
Mary Lou Walsh, 92, of Waukon died Thursday, January 3, 2019 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Tuesday, January 8 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Mark Osterhaus officiating. Burial was at St. John the Baptist-West Ridge Cemetery, rural Waukon.
Mary Lou Walsh was born March 11, 1926 in Waukon, the daughter of Albert “Bert” and Rose (Curtin) Marsden. In 1945, she graduated from Waukon High School and became a teacher for a rural Union Prairie Township school. Later, Mary Lou became a library aide at West Elementary in Waukon, retiring in 1995. She enjoyed farming with her parents, too.
May 19, 1948, she married Irving Walsh at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at West Ridge in rural Waukon. July 30, 1955, their son, Stephen, was born. Besides farming and working, Mary Lou was also the primary caregiver for her parents and brother for many years.
She loved being outdoors and out in her multiple gardens. Every year, she and Irv would grow a bounty of flowers and vegetables, some of which were submitted to the county fair and many of the veggies were canned. She always took pictures of the things she grew and every Christmas showed off the photo albums to her family.
Mary Lou also spent a lot of time sewing, crocheting, knitting and quilting, often entering her quilts in the fair competition as well. She sewed many aprons as well as crocheted several snowflakes to put on her Christmas tree. She also collected Santa Clauses and enjoyed going on road trips with Irv to antique shops and flea markets.
Mary Lou is survived by three sisters-in-law: Beverly Walsh and Jean (Joe) Kroack, both of Waukon, and Sharon Kouba of Hiawatha; several nieces, nephews and cousins; and a loving family at Northgate Care Center, where she had lived since September 30, 2013.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Irv, in 2015; her son, Stephen; her brother, Daniel “Bud” Marsden; her twin sister, Margaret Anne (Melvin) Wagner; and two brothers-in-law, James Walsh and Don Kouba.
Casketbearers were Richard, John, Tom and Curt Wagner, Kim Walsh and Don Petersen. Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
