James C. Walsh |
| Posted 2016-08-30 by Gayle Nelson |
| James C. Walsh, 87, of rural Hubbard passed away Tuesday, July 19, 2016, in Grand Island, NE following a long battle with dementia. Services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hubbard. Burial will be St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, with military rites. Visitation will be 5 to 8 p.m. today, with a Knights of Columbus rosary at 7 p.m. followed by a Scriptural wake service, all at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Becker-Hunt Funereal Home in South Sioux City. Jim was born on July 9, 1929, in Waterbury, NE, to George and Margaret (Russell) Walsh, the first of two children. He was raised on a farm north of Waterbury, where he graduated in 1947. He then attended the University of Nebraska on a basketball scholarship until being drafted during the Korean War. Jim served in the US Army from 1951 to 1953. Upon his return from overseas, he finished his degree from Lincoln, graduating with a bachelor's of science in physical education. He later earned his master's degree in education. Jim married Mary Joan Bartels on February 12, 1955, and spent 51 wonderful years together until her death in 2006. He lived in Waterbury on the family farm until he moved the family east of Hubbard in 1976. Jim was a high school basketball standout at Waterbury. He is listed as one of the state's top scorers in Nebraska High School basketball history. He is currently listed in the top 15 for points scored in a season, scoring 773 points in 1947. Recruited by the Cornhuskers, Jim attended the University of Nebraska on a basketball scholarship where he played for the Cornhuskers until being drafted in the Army in 1951. While overseas, Jim also played basketball on the all Army team receiving several accolades. Jim began teaching and coaching at his HS alma mater (Waterbury) in 1954 and later accepted a position at South Sioux City in 1958, where he taught and coached for more than 30 years before retiring. He was the former athletic director and varsity men's basketball coach at South Sioux City and in 1974 was the president of the Nebraska Coaches Association. In addition to his teaching and coaching, Jim ran a small farm in Waterbury and in Hubbard, raising cattle and later in life sheep. An avid sports fan, Jim was often seen around the greater Siouxland area at high school sporting events. He was also a huge Cornhusker football fan and rarely missed home games in Lincoln. In his later years, he enjoyed traveling to watch the Lady Cardinals basketball and watching his grandchildren play sports. Jim was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hubbard, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Nebraska Cattleman's Association, and the Knights of Columbus. He is survived by his children, Diane and her husband, Joe of Hubbard, Mary and her husband, Doug of Hastings, NE, Patrick of Klamath Falls, OR, and John and his wife, Laurie of Washington, MO; 10 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Joan; his sister, Ann of Quitman, TX; and his parents. Please make donation to St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hubbard, St. Michael's Catholic Church in Hastings, or the Jim Walsh Family Scholarship Fund thru the South Sioux City Cardinal Booster Club. |