Margaret B. (Meg) Walsh died peacefully at her home in Sandy Hook on December 15, 2024, at the age of 89. She was surrounded by loved ones with her in person and in spirit.

She was the treasured wife of 57 years of the late James P. (Jim) Walsh Jr.

The daughter of the late Henry Norwood Bement and Olive Evelyn (Dickerson) Bement, Margaret was born July 28, 1935, in Middletown, N.Y.

Margaret was a graduate of Pine Bush High School, N.Y. (1953) and Albany Business College, N.Y. (1955). Together with her husband, she raised her ever-growing family in Albany, N.Y.; Wallingford, Clinton, Newtown, and Danbury, Conn.; and Winter Springs, Fla. In retirement, Meg and Jim settled in Southbury and Sandy Hook.

Wherever they settled, Meg was an active member of the community. She was, among other things, a Catechist, Mass Reader, Choir Member, Parish Council Member and Eucharistic Minister in the Catholic Church, a Home Economics/Cooking Instructor at St Rose School, a certified EMT and dedicated member of Heritage Village Ambulance Association, a proud performer with The Heritage Village Theatre Guild and The Happy Tappers, a columnist for Voices newspaper, a Meals on Wheels volunteer, a committed exercise enthusiast, a passionate gardener who loved to shared her bounty with family and friends, and an adventurous traveler including pilgrimages to Rome and Jerusalem.

For many years Meg also worked as a Nurses Aid in the Newtown offices of the late Dr Thomas Draper, pediatrician, where she developed her passion for healthcare.

Meg and Jim were also renowned for their swing dancing prowess, entertaining family and friends with their infamous “Jitterbug” routine.

A dedicated reader and letter writer, Meg rarely missed a birthday or other special occasion with a handwritten letter to her family and friends.

Margaret is survived by her loving sister Nancy (Bement) Chase, Petersburg, N.Y., and predeceased by her cherished brothers Fred Bement and Dick Bement and her loving sister Sally (Bement) Luongo.

She was also predeceased by her treasured son Michael Walsh and survived by her precious daughter-in-law Nina Walsh of Roxbury; her five revered adult children and their spouses, James and Dinah Walsh of Newtown, Kevin and Sandy Walsh of Fairfield, Sharon and David Brace, Sewell, N.J., Colleen and Christopher Mars, Scarborough Me., and Mary Kathleen and Julio Ceballos, Acworth, Ga.; twenty cherished grandchildren, and seven adoring great grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 am Saturday January 4, at St Rose of Lima Church, 46 Church Hill Road in Newtown (strosechurch.com). Friends may greet the family from 10 to 11 am at the church. A Celebration of Life reception will follow the funeral mass. (Additional details available via Honan Funeral Home, Newtown (203 426-2751, honanfh.com).Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to St Rose School Bloom Fund (stroseschool.com), Benhaven Programs for Autism (Benhaven.org) or Regional Hospice of Danbury (regionalhospicect.org).