John V. Walsh, 82, a longtime retailer who dedicated much of his life to raising eight children as a single parent, died Tuesday, March 5, in Elmhurst Memorial Hospital of complications from liver disease. Mr. Walsh was born and grew up in Chicago. He served in the Army during World War II, spending most of his time in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska. He married a childhood friend, Genevieve, and started a family. Mr. Walsh attended night school at DePaul University while working in the retail business, an industry he would stay in for decades. He was the father of eight when his wife died in 1973. It would be the most difficult time of his life, though eventually rewarding, friends and family say. “He was a fantastic father, and not the greatest mother. He was no good at housekeeping,” said his daughter Mary Pat. “He counted on us to do the nitty-gritty and he gave us a lot of free rein.” But what he lacked in elbow grease, Mr. Walsh made up for in dedication to his children’s lives. When his seven daughters formed a volleyball team, he was a member. He played for years with Big Daddy and the Sugar Babies, stopping only when his knee gave out when he was in his 60s, his daughter said. Tom Connelly, who married Mr. Walsh’s late daughter Margaret, said Mr. Walsh “was always positive. He always looked at the future and the positive side” of a situation. Other survivors include his wife Barbara; five other daughters, Nonie, Jane, Kathleen, Loretta and Regina; a son, John; a brother, Frank; and 44 grandchildren. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday in Gibbons Funeral Home, 134 S. York Rd, Elmhurst. Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Saturday in Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, 5212 W. Agatite Ave., Chicago.
