March 17--The eldest son in a family of nine children, Joseph A. Walsh for years attended Sunday Mass at Ascension Catholic Church in Oak Park, where he had once been an altar boy.
He was married in the church and, after a long career as a social worker and professor, became an ordained deacon for the congregation that served as his spiritual home for more than 65 years.
"For Joe, it was like a second calling," said his wife of 49 years, Katherine, a family practice physician. "It was a way for him to reach more people through his faith."
Walsh, 71, a former professor and dean at Loyola University's School of Social Work, died of cancer March 3 at his home in River Forest. He had previously lived in Oak Park.
"Joe was deeply committed to Loyola University and his students," said Susan Grossman, interim dean for Loyola's School of Social Work. "He was dedicated to the field of social work and helping those in need. He lived his life creating positive change in the lives of so many and taught countless others how to do the same."
Walsh was born in Evergreen Park and lived on the South Side until age 5, when his family moved to Oak Park.
In 1966, Walsh earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Loyola University, and three years later a master's degree in social work. It was there, as an undergraduate, that he met his future wife, a fellow freshman and pre-med student.
The couple married in 1966, settled in Oak Park, and in five years had four children. As Walsh worked toward his master's degree, his wife was a stay-at-home mom who supported him by typing his thesis. She was at the typewriter when she went into labor on the day their first child was born.
"Joe was saying, 'Do you think you could type just one more page?'" his wife recalled with a laugh.
Walsh went on to work for the DuPage County Mental Health Department, opened a private practice in psychotherapy in Oak Park and earned a doctorate degree in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The couple's roles were reversed in the late 1970s when his wife, at age 33, decided to enter medical school.
"Joe took charge of the homefront so I could focus on my studies," she recalled. "He became a hands-on dad long before it was fashionable."
With the help of a babysitter in her 70s, Walsh stepped up his parental responsibilities, including kitchen duties.
"Cooking wasn't his top skill, but he did his best," his wife said. "Our children lovingly remember all his burnt pork chops."
In 1978, Walsh joined the faculty at Loyola's School of Social Work. He served as the inaugural director of the school's doctorate program in 1986 and was named dean in 1996, a position he held until 2005.
"Aside from all his professional contributions, Joe had a great sense of humor," Grossman said. "For instance, one minute he'd be saying something to you completely deadpan, and the next, he'd break into a huge smile. He was always making me laugh."
From 2005 to 2012, Walsh served as a part-time faculty member and received the School of Social Work's Damen Award for his leadership and service to others in 2009.
That same year, he was ordained to the diaconate of the Archdiocese of Chicago and assigned to Ascension Church, where he delivered homilies, provided counseling to parishioners and assisted in baptisms, burials and premarriage counseling for young couples. He served in that role until his health began to fail recently.
"Faith was such an important part of Joe's life, and Ascension Church was at the center of it from as far back as he could remember," his wife said.
Walsh also served as president of the state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park and the Oak Park Board of Education.
"Joe was someone you could count on," said longtime friend Marty Lane. "When I went through a difficult period, he was there for me with patience and sound advice. I don't know how I'd have gotten through it without him."
Walsh also is survived by sons David and Matthew; daughters Laura Stawczyk and Maureen Hilquist; sisters Mary B. Winklebleck, Clare Sobiesk, Joanne Lovell, Kathleen Walsh and Sheila Scanlan; brothers Patrick, Kevin and Denis; and nine grandchildren.
Services were held.
Giangrasse Kates is a freelance reporter.
