Obituary of Ruth Marie Walsh

Mission/Laguna Vista, Texas- Ruth Walsh, born March 14, 1927 in Detroit, Texas, passed away on December 27, 2017, in Harlingen, Texas at the age of 90.

She was the daughter of Clyde Cecil Venable & Lola Kitchens Venable.

She came to the valley at the age of 20 to become a teacher in Mission, where she met & married her husband Edgar Antoine Walsh, Sr.

They owned & operated The Palms Drive-In in McAllen.  The Texas Theatre in Pharr, and The Plaza Theatre in Donna.  Later, she took over the bookkeeping duties for Walsh Lumber Co. that her husband acquired from his father, until the late seventies.  She continued keeping the books for her son in the pharmacy/commercial real estate businesses in the Laguna Madre area until 2010.

During the late sixties & early seventies, she completed her college degree in education, with a minor in music.  Oh how she could play the piano!  She graduated Suma-Cum Laude. She began her teaching career at Mission Public Schools. She then taught as a 1^st grade teacher at St. Paul’s Catholic School before moving on to Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School in McAllen as a 5^th grade teacher.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 69 years, Ed Walsh Sr., her brother, Felix (in his infancy), her sister & brother-in-law Nell & Donald Jackson, and her brother-in-law Rev. Wendel Graham.

Ruth is survived by her loving children, Eileen Walsh and Edgar Walsh, Jr; her sister Ann Graham; her brother and sister-in-law Van & Deanna Venable; her daughter-in-law Mary Jane Walsh; and her two granddaughters, Leah Walsh & Haley Walsh.

Honored to be serving as honorary pallbearers are her nephews: Alan Jackson, Mike Jackson, Dan Jackson, Joe Venable, John Venable, John Pate, Tommy Vessels, and Stephen Vessels.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with a holy rosary recited by her cousin Father Pat Seitz at 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 705 South Longoria St. in Port Isabel, Texas.

Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church officiated by Father Pat Seitz.

Graveside Services will be held at 3:30 p.m. on the same day at Valley Memorial Garden Cemetery, 3611 North Taylor Road in McAllen, Texas.

You may sign the online guestbook and send words of comfort or sympathy cards to the family of Ruth Marie Venable Walsh at: www.thomaegarza.com.

Funeral arrangements entrusted to the care of Thomae-Garza Funeral Directors and Crematorium, 395 S. Sam Houston, San Benito, Texas, (956) 399-1331.