Alumna and Sister of Providence Emily Walsh ‘52, a dedicated former librarian at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College for many years, died Jan. 26, 2021. Formerly known as Sister Mary Francine, she was 90 years old.
Walsh worked as a reference librarian and library administrator for SMWC from 1975 to 2001 and was an associate professor of library science from 1982 to 2001. She was named professor emerita in 2002.
She was active with the Sisters of Providence, holding various positions from 1992 until 2020. She also taught in Terre Haute and Clarksville. During her retirement, she worked as a librarian at the resource center for the Sisters of Providence researching the history of The Woods until 2017.
“S. Emily was known by her colleagues as a dedicated leader who cared about her staff and wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything that she wouldn’t do herself,” said Janet Clark, Ph.D., vice president for academic and student affairs.
She graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College with a degree in French along with her twin sister Leona Walsh ’52 SP, formerly Sister Mary Charlene, who shared the same degree. Both sisters would go on to attain a master’s degree from Spalding University and work together at the College in the Rooney Library. Sister Leona served as librarian at the College from 1976 until her retirement in 2002.
The Walsh sisters’ legacy at The Woods began with their mother, Frances Emily Wolfarth, an alumna from 1921 from Saginaw, Michigan, who attended the College during a time when she would have witnessed the Armistice of the first World War and been quarantined on campus during the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic.
Funeral services for Walsh will be announced as they become available.