Obituary of Philip Cornelius Walsh, IV

Philip C. Walsh died peacefully at his home in Peapack, NJ, on March 24, 2010. Born on May 23rd, 1921, he was the son of Philip C. Walsh and the former Frances Prendergast. He was educated at The Newman School, Phillips Andover Academy and Yale University, where he majored in geology. He graduated in 1944 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma XI. He was a First Lieutenant in the 10th Armored Division of George Patton's 3rd Army, served as a Forward Observer in France and in Germany, and was awarded a Purple Heart and a Silver Star for gallantry in action. He married the former Alexandra Somerville Tuck on May 19, 1945, and moved shortly thereafter to Peru in the employ of W.R. Grace & Co. Returning from Peru in 1956, he settled in New Vernon, NJ, though his work would continue to take him to Latin America for the next 40 years. Following his academic interests he left Grace in 1971 to work in the mining industry with Newmont Mining. He would later serve as Vice-Chairman of St. Joe Minerals, Director of Cyprus Minerals Company, and Chairman of the Board of Foote Mineral Company, and was a Corporate Director of T. Rowe Price for twelve years. He was always involved in his community, and served on the Harding Township Board of Education, as the Police Commissioner of Harding Township, as a trustee of Morristown Memorial Hospital, as Chancellor of the American Assoc. of the Order of Malta, and as Commodore of the Edgartown Yacht Club. He was also an active member of the Essex Hunt Club, the Racquet and Tennis Club, and the Somerset Hills Country Club. He was predeceased by his first wife and the mother of his six children in 1993, and was married to the former Peggy McDonnell in 1995. He often commented that he had been blessed to have married two wonderful women. He had an agile and quick mind, loved history, Shakespeare's sonnets, the New York Yankees, the Yale class of '44, Chappaquiddick, hiking in the White Mountains, sailing, writing poetry and, above all, his family. He was a wonderful guy, a friend to all, and was as good a father and husband as God created. We will miss him terribly. He leaves six children (Eugenie Flaherty of Philadelphia PA, Philip of Miami FL, Frances Cummings of Bedford NY, Alec of Basking Ridge NJ, Nicholas of Yarmouth ME, and Elizabeth Lovering of Bedford NY), eight step-children (Pia Pearce of Norwich VT, Michael of Malibu CA, Megan Kyle of Freeport ME, Stephen of Pipersville PA, Peggy Vance of New York City, Anna of Los Angeles CA, Terry of Norwich VT, and Andrew of Old Chatham NY), 19 grandchildren, 27 step-grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A Mass of Funeral Liturgy will take place March 31, 11 a.m. at Christ the King Church, New Vernon, N. J. Contributions may be made to the Chappaquiddick Community Center (PO Box 2966, Edgartown MA 02539) or to St. Thomas More (The Catholic Chapel Center at Yale University, 268 Park St., New Haven CT. 06511).