Frances Bridget Quinn Walsh passed away on March 18th after a fierce battle. Frankie was born on July 8, 1929 in New Brunswick, NJ, to Kathleen Harkins and Francis Quinn. She was the fourth of five daughters, predeceased by Mary, Katherine, Margaret and Anne.
She graduated from St. Peter’s High School, New Brunswick where she was a starter on the girls’ basketball team as a sophomore. She continued her education at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC where she received her RN and BSN. There was no basketball team, so she became a cheerleader.
Frankie loved being a nurse. She had a lengthy career as a nurse in both hospitals and schools. She started as a Labor and Delivery nurse at Camp Kilmer, NJ and continued at Point Pleasant Hospital after moving to Manasquan. She went back to school in 1973 for her School Nurse Certification and worked in various schools in the area, ending her career in the Lakewood School District.
She loved basketball and taught both daughters to play before women played full court. Many a weekend was spent watching college games on the porch.
Frankie is predeceased by her husband, James. She met Jim at Catholic University. He was the love of her life - she was his straight man. They were married in 1955 and moved to Manasquan in 1961.
Frankie is survived by her four children and their spouses; Dee and Paul Selheim of Little Silver, Patti and Jerry Brown of Manasquan, Jim and Jeanne Walsh of Manasquan, and Colin and Wendy Walsh of Virginia Beach, VA. She is also survived by her 13 grandchildren, Megan, Kristen, Carolyn, Jerry Jr., David, Maggie, Luke, Jimmy, Bridget, Connor, Conor, Braedan and Ryan and two great-grandchildren, Owen and Ellie.
She is also survived by her two nieces who shared Frankie and Jim’s home, Kathy Fugger and her daughters, Lauren and Kaitlin and a grand-niece, Peyton, and Diane and Paul Fitzgerald and their children, Annie and Kevin. She leaves behind one brother-in-law, Henry Butow and his wife Anne of Wall, and one sister-in-law, Geraldine Lee Walsh of Frederick, MD along with many beloved nieces and nephews.
Viewing will be held at O’Brien Funeral Home, 2028 Highway 35, Wall, Thursday March 22, from 3-5 & 7-9pm. Her funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Denis Beach Chapel, 554 East Main Street, Manasquan, on Friday at 10am. Burial will follow at St. Catharine Cemetery, Sea Girt.
Donations may be made in Frankie’s memory to The Sturge-Weber Foundation, www.sturge-weber.org or P.O. Box 418 Mt. Freedom, NJ 07970.