Evangelist N22 #2

7October 20, 2011 TH E E VA NG E L I S T

MARRIAGE JUBILEE

BY JAMES BREIG

“Love is lovelier,” goes the oldsong, “the second time around.”

Bill and Pat Walsh of OurLady of Victory parish in Troyare living that lyric. After eachlost a spouse, they found eachother — through the internet.

“I had WebTV, hit a buttonand landed on [a website called]‘Catholic Singles,’” Mrs. Walshrecalled. “I didn’t know what Iwas doing. I thought sites likethat were for younger peopleand I was too old.

“But they had a special: threemonths at no charge. So, I wentlooking for a nice gentleman inthis area to take me out to dinneror a movie — and then say, ‘Goodnight.’”

Mrs. Walsh, a native ofBinghamton, earned a nursingdegree at The College of SaintRose in Albany and took a job atSt. Mary’s Hospital in Troy: “Ithought I would work there for ayear to make it look good on myresume and then go back toBinghamton.”

Instead, she remained at St.Mary’s for 33 years and thenworked in home health care.Now 76, she retired in 1994.

Bronx-born and Yonkers-raised, Mr. Walsh began to workat IBM in 1953 and movedaround the country. In NorthCarolina, he also ran an 83-acrefarm and built a shrimp boat.

After he retired, Mr. Walsh,who is about to turn 82, movedto Florida. Then he put his pro-file on www.catholicsingles.com.

Mrs. Walsh had married latein life. She had no children. Herhusband, Lawrence, died afteronly seven years of marriage.Mr. Walsh had been married 53years to Stella; they had sevenkids. She passed away in 2003.

When Mrs. Walsh scrolledthrough profiles on the website,she noticed someone identifiedas “countryboy88.” She remem-bers that “I liked his resume, butthen I saw his picture andthought, ‘I will never write him.’”

Meanwhile, Mr. Walsh —A.K.A. countryboy88 — saw herentry and thought, “She lookslike an ex-nun with that shorthaircut and plaid jacket.”

But Mrs. Walsh admitted, “Ikept going back and looking atBill’s picture — every night.”

“You were hypnotized,” jokedher husband. “Actually, it wasbecause she was from Troy and

noticed thatI hadworked up-state. I wroteher, and shereplied, ‘Ican’t writebecause I’mdoing Christmas cards,’” a com-ment he found baffling.

As they continued to corre-spond online, their long-dis-tance relationship warmed. “Iwas anxious to meet her,” Mr.Walsh recalled, “but my kidswere worried.”

One of Mrs. Walsh’s friendswarned her that if she ever metMr. Walsh in person, she was notto get into his car, because “Idon’t want to find pieces of youscattered all over.”

Finally, Mrs. Walsh told heronline friend that she was com-ing to Florida with friends for abreak from winter in New Yorkand wondered if he would like tomeet her in person.

Mr. Walsh emailed, “Yes, let’shave a date on Sunday and startwith Mass.”

Mrs. Walsh answered, “Can afriend come with me?”

“As long as she doesn’t sitbetween us,” Mr. Walsh said,though he thought, “She lives1,300 miles away. What couldhappen?”

What happened was dinner, aquick courtship, marriage atOur Lady of Victory Church andhis move to Troy. The couplewinter down south.

Mrs. Walsh said that widowedpeople shouldn’t think their ownlife has ended. “You can andshould go on and live your life,”she counseled. “My husbandtold me to marry again and notbe alone.”

Losing a spouse “leaves such avoid in your life,” Mr. Walshadded. “You do everything withthem — and then they’re gone. Icried myself to sleep many anight after my wife died.”

When Mrs. Walsh finally metall of her new husband’s rela-tives — children, grandchildrenand even great-grandchildren —she said, “It was sort of over-whelming, but I felt I had to saysomething. I thanked them foraccepting me. One of his sonsgrabbed me and said I was allright.”

Added Mr. Walsh: “We’reopposite sides of the coin, butwe get along. We like to hug andhold hands.”

ONLINE DATING

Widowed couple found each other on the internet

BILL & PAT WALSH

Treasured Melodies

Music from the Archives of the

Cathedral of the Immaculate ConceptionThe Cathedral Choir and Orchestra

directed by Thomas F. Savoy

Friday, November 18th, 2011

8:00 p.m. at the

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Albany, New York

Music drawn from its musical archives dating

from 1876-1936. Composers such as Haydn,

Mozart, Hummel, St. Requier, Thomas, and

Dubois are represented. Compositions by

the distinguished Canadian organist/composer

Leandre Arthur DuMouchel also figure

prominently in the collection. Professor

DuMouchel presided as Director of Music

of the Cathedral for some forty three years

(1876-1919), writing several works specifically

for the Cathedral choir of the time.

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