Walsh 'lived without regrets'
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Tim Walsh
Tim Walsh, a good-natured bartender and golf enthusiast who moved to Haines in 2010, died at his McPhetres Lane residence. He was 45.
Walsh was found by a roommate on the afternoon of April 6. An autopsy was ordered to determine the cause of his death.
“His claim to fame was that he golfed every month of the year in Alaska,” said Shannon Donahue, his partner of 16 years. Donahue and Walsh came to Haines from Wrangell, where he bartended and also worked as greens-keeper at the Muskeg Meadows golf course.
He walked with a limp from a fall that had occurred while hiking in Montana several years ago.
Timothy M. Walsh grew up in an athletic family in North Andover, Mass. He played youth football until a broken leg revealed tumors that prevented him from continuing. He took up running, then golf, said his brother, Mike Walsh of North Andover.
While in college, Tim quit a job as an accountant for a defense contractor – “He was dead set against that. He was a peace guy,” his brother said – and went to work at a paper plant in Lawrence, Mass. He moved west after making a business trip to Washington state to train paper plant employees there, his brother said.
Mike Walsh said his brother became enamored of life in Alaska after his first visit in 2002. “He wanted to live the free life. He was a free spirit. He loved the outdoors. When he got his chance to move to Alaska, he dropped everything and went.”
Tim Walsh worked as bartender at the Harbor Bar. He also clerked at Alaskan Liquor Store and volunteered for state parks at Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve and on trails projects. But friends said his personality shone on the golf course. Before moving to Haines, he phoned course owners Stan and Kathy Pardee Jones to inquire about it.
“He was out at the golf course every day. Sometimes he played twice a day. He was always pleasant. He was a wonderful man and a great addition to the golf community and the community of Haines,” Pardee Jones said. “He will be sorely missed.”
Shannon Donahue works in Haines as Chilkoot River bear monitor. She was in Montana when her partner died. They had recently traveled together to visit friends and family on the East Coast. She said Walsh lived without regrets. “I think what people will remember most about him is the way he made us laugh under any circumstances… I never would have done half the things I’ve done without his support and encouragement.”
Besides partner Donahue and brother Mike Walsh, Tim Walsh is survived by a sister, Colleen Walsh, and mother Gloria Walsh, both of North Andover. Walsh said his brother would be cremated. Services are pending.
Cards may be sent to Shannon Donahue at P.O. Box 9383, Missoula, Mont. 59807 or c/o Mike Walsh, 800 Osgood St., North Andover, Mass. 01845.
