1 Photo
Billie Ryan Walsh
Billie Ryan Walsh of Vero Beach, Florida, formerly of Quogue, died at home on Tuesday, May 10.
Married for 60 years to Thomas L. Walsh, who predeceased her, she divided her time between Quogue and Palm Beach, Florida, for more than five decades.
Known as “Billie” by her friends and as “Gracie” by her grandchildren, she was born in Manhattan, raised her family in Riverdale, and had deep New York roots. She added to the city’s cultural landscape and history as a founding partner of Jimmy Ryan’s 52nd Street, a jazz club on New York’s venerable Swing Street in the 1940s and 50s. She is a co-founder, former board member and longtime supporter of Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York. A survivor, a mother and a devoted grandmother, she was loved by all whose lives she touched and will be greatly missed, survivors said.
She is survived by her daughters, Barbara Freehill of Remsenburg and Florida, and Constance Walsh of Florida and Quogue, daughter-in-law Barbara Kutz Walsh, son-in-law George B. Freehill; 13 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her son, Thomas A. Walsh in 2009, from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
A memorial Mass is scheduled for a later date at The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Westhampton Beach.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to Little Flower Children and Family Services, littleflowerny.org or Compassionate Care ALS ccals.org.
on May 23, 2011