SHIRLEY M. (HOTALING) WALSH, 79, of Port Charlotte, Florida died Tuesday, December 13, 2006 at Fawcett Memorial Hospital, Port Charlotte.
She was born May 9, 1927 in Kingston, New York and moved to Framingham, MA in 1958 living there until she moved to Rock Island, IL in 1980 and then to Port
Charlotte in 1987. She graduated from Kingston High School and Kingston Hospital School of Nursing and received her Masters Degree in Nursing from the Boston University School of Nursing. Shirley met her late husband, George E. “Nat” Walsh, while living in Kingston and they were married June 28, 1958. She was the first registered nurse to be licensed in New York under the age of 21 and taught nursing while working in hospitals in New York. She also volunteered at as civilian nurse at West Point.
She and Nat moved to Framingham, Mass. where they helped build St.
Jeremiah Catholic Church and while at St. Jeremiah’s Church, Shirley was the
first woman to be instructed as a Eucharistic Minister. While in Framingham
she helped established the first Senior Citizen Center in 1975. They then moved
to Rock Island where she was an active member of St. Pius Catholic Church. After moving to Florida she was employee at G. Pierce Wood Hospital, Arcadia, FL until retired as the age of 70 after 50 years in nursing. Shirley was a member of St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Port Charlotte and was an active Eucharistic Minister, Lector and Coordinator of Health and Wellness Ministry of the church. She was a member of Emmaus and the Knights of Columbus Auxiliary. She was
a mediator for Charlotte County for family law and small claims court.
She was a member of the American Legion Post 110 Auxiliary, Am Vets, V.F.W Post 5690 Ladies Auxiliary, the D.A.V. Chapter 82 Auxiliary, Irish American Club, all of Port Charlotte. She also served as a Chaplain for the D.A.V. and volunteered at Bon Secours-
St. Joseph Hospital and Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte.
Survived by a daughter, Mari S. Quirk of Southboro, MA; a son, Nathaniel
S. Walsh of St. Louis, MO; a brother, Kenneth Hotaling of Boulder, CO; two sisters,
Nancy Lowe of Kingston, NY and Kay Hotaling of Clifton Park , NY; 5 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.