1932
Ronald
2018
Ronald Walsh, Sr.
October 24, 1932 — October 17, 2018
LtCol, USAF, Retired Ronald Carlton Walsh, Sr. age 85, passed away Wednesday October 17, 2018 at his residence in Forest, MS. Visitation will be held Sunday October 21, 2018 from 1:00PM until 1:50PM at Wolf Funeral Services in Morton, MS. Services will follow Sunday October 21, 2018 at 2:00PM at Wolf Funeral Services Chapel in Morton, MS. Burial will be at Rehobeth Baptist Church Cemetery in Pelahatchie, MS. Graveside services will be private for family only. Officiating will be The Reverend Charlie Deaton. Wolf Funeral Services in Morton, MS is in charge of the arrangements.
Mr. Walsh attended Pisgah School, primarily to sixth grade, Leesburg grammar school seventh grade, Branch High School eighth grade, attended Jones Jr. College for high school and summer school and the first semester, and then returned to Pisgah for the remainder of the year. The next year he attended Raymond High School (Hinds Jr. College) and stayed there until he finished Jr. College in January 1953.
Immediately after finishing Jr. College he joined the US Air Force. He went thru basic training, took and passed Aviation Cadet Examination and started Cadets in April of 1953. He finished navigation, radar and bombardier school in September 1954. He served in this capacity with his home base, El Paso, Texas for about a year. However, he was TDY almost all year in New Fundland, Labrador, England, and Canada. He attended pilot training early in 1956 at Bainbridge, Georgia, then to Enid, Oklahoma where he finished in 1957. He was then assigned to Warner Robbins AFB, Georgia. There he spent almost five years flying C-134 aircraft all over the world, carrying nuclear weapons. He attended and finished college at the University of Southern Mississippi under the Air Force’s Boot Strap program in 1960, with a degree in Mathematics. He made all A’s in all science courses (all A’s except in a History course). (The young PHD did not believe his theory that only the winners wrote the history books and they were not necessarily true). In any case he was contacted by the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) to further his education in graduate school. However, the Air Force personnel office stepped in and he was assigned to Tokyo (Yokota AFB) Japan. He flew recon along the Russian and Chinese coast. There he flew a modified version of a C-130 for the next two and a half years.
Personnel called him and gave him a choice of three schools: Stanford, Michigan State, or Texas A & M. He chose Texas A & M and spent the next two calendar years (actually three school years) working his tail off. He left A & M with a Master’s degree in computer science (one of the first such degrees given in 1966) and 73 post graduate hours, one semester short of his PHD and he got his flying time in Waco, Texas.
From College Station he was assigned to Suitland Hall, Maryland, Headquarters USAF, as a computer analysis. During that period of time he was selected to head up the Air Force program in computer programs. He stayed in that job for the duration of his time in the DC area.
From there he was assigned to fly C-130’s in Thailand (Southeast Asia). He served a year flying 130’s air borne command post over Laos, Cambodia, South Vietnam. During that time he flew 1039.6 combat hours.
His final assignment was to Elmendorf Air Base as single manager of the Alaskan Air Command (for computers) and he flew all over Alaska staying current in flying. He retired October 31, 1973 as Lt. Col.
After retiring from the military he was involved in the poultry industry for thirteen years at Green Acre Farms, B.C. Rogers and Claxton poultry. He was an avid golfer and in his early military career he represented the USAF as a member the golf team in the Far East. In retirement, his fishing in Alaska took up most of his summers. He became an accomplished gardener both at the farm and in his back yard. He was a founding member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Forest. He was a past President of Forest Country Club and he was President of C.E. Walsh Farms. His life time of philanthropic endeavors was done anonymously.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings, as he was the last child of twelve to enter the gates of heaven. He leaves his wife, Mary Jo Walsh of Forest, MS; two daughters, Betsy Corkran (Ronald E.) of Dumfries, VA; Kelly J. Leiden of Ocean Springs, MS; his son, Ronald C. Walsh Jr. (Katherine) of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; nine grandchildren, Christin L. Yax (Christopher) of Virginia Beach, VA, Justin Leiden of Starkville, MS, Steven Leiden of Greenville, S.C., Lauren Leiden Phillips of Memphis, TN, Sydney Corkran of Hilliard, Ohio, Chloe Corkran of Sydney, Australia, Ashley McCain (Jonathan) of Starkville, MS, Reagan Mary Walsh of Oxford, MS; Ronald C. Walsh III “Trey” New Orleans, LA; four great grandchildren, Ferran and Elin Yax; and Gavin and Fisher McCain. He also leaves a host of nine nieces, and eight nephews.
You may leave an on-line condolence or light a memory candle at our website:
www.wolffuneralservices.com
In lieu of flowers contributions in his memory may be made to: MS Episcopal Diocese, Honduras Medical Mission
PO Box 2006
Tupelo, MS 38803
Mr. Walsh attended Pisgah School, primarily to sixth grade, Leesburg grammar school seventh grade, Branch High School eighth grade, attended Jones Jr. College for high school and summer school and the first semester, and then returned to Pisgah for the remainder of the year. The next year he attended Raymond High School (Hinds Jr. College) and stayed there until he finished Jr. College in January 1953.
Immediately after finishing Jr. College he joined the US Air Force. He went thru basic training, took and passed Aviation Cadet Examination and started Cadets in April of 1953. He finished navigation, radar and bombardier school in September 1954. He served in this capacity with his home base, El Paso, Texas for about a year. However, he was TDY almost all year in New Fundland, Labrador, England, and Canada. He attended pilot training early in 1956 at Bainbridge, Georgia, then to Enid, Oklahoma where he finished in 1957. He was then assigned to Warner Robbins AFB, Georgia. There he spent almost five years flying C-134 aircraft all over the world, carrying nuclear weapons. He attended and finished college at the University of Southern Mississippi under the Air Force’s Boot Strap program in 1960, with a degree in Mathematics. He made all A’s in all science courses (all A’s except in a History course). (The young PHD did not believe his theory that only the winners wrote the history books and they were not necessarily true). In any case he was contacted by the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) to further his education in graduate school. However, the Air Force personnel office stepped in and he was assigned to Tokyo (Yokota AFB) Japan. He flew recon along the Russian and Chinese coast. There he flew a modified version of a C-130 for the next two and a half years.
Personnel called him and gave him a choice of three schools: Stanford, Michigan State, or Texas A & M. He chose Texas A & M and spent the next two calendar years (actually three school years) working his tail off. He left A & M with a Master’s degree in computer science (one of the first such degrees given in 1966) and 73 post graduate hours, one semester short of his PHD and he got his flying time in Waco, Texas.
From College Station he was assigned to Suitland Hall, Maryland, Headquarters USAF, as a computer analysis. During that period of time he was selected to head up the Air Force program in computer programs. He stayed in that job for the duration of his time in the DC area.
From there he was assigned to fly C-130’s in Thailand (Southeast Asia). He served a year flying 130’s air borne command post over Laos, Cambodia, South Vietnam. During that time he flew 1039.6 combat hours.
His final assignment was to Elmendorf Air Base as single manager of the Alaskan Air Command (for computers) and he flew all over Alaska staying current in flying. He retired October 31, 1973 as Lt. Col.
After retiring from the military he was involved in the poultry industry for thirteen years at Green Acre Farms, B.C. Rogers and Claxton poultry. He was an avid golfer and in his early military career he represented the USAF as a member the golf team in the Far East. In retirement, his fishing in Alaska took up most of his summers. He became an accomplished gardener both at the farm and in his back yard. He was a founding member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Forest. He was a past President of Forest Country Club and he was President of C.E. Walsh Farms. His life time of philanthropic endeavors was done anonymously.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings, as he was the last child of twelve to enter the gates of heaven. He leaves his wife, Mary Jo Walsh of Forest, MS; two daughters, Betsy Corkran (Ronald E.) of Dumfries, VA; Kelly J. Leiden of Ocean Springs, MS; his son, Ronald C. Walsh Jr. (Katherine) of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; nine grandchildren, Christin L. Yax (Christopher) of Virginia Beach, VA, Justin Leiden of Starkville, MS, Steven Leiden of Greenville, S.C., Lauren Leiden Phillips of Memphis, TN, Sydney Corkran of Hilliard, Ohio, Chloe Corkran of Sydney, Australia, Ashley McCain (Jonathan) of Starkville, MS, Reagan Mary Walsh of Oxford, MS; Ronald C. Walsh III “Trey” New Orleans, LA; four great grandchildren, Ferran and Elin Yax; and Gavin and Fisher McCain. He also leaves a host of nine nieces, and eight nephews.
You may leave an on-line condolence or light a memory candle at our website:
www.wolffuneralservices.com
In lieu of flowers contributions in his memory may be made to: MS Episcopal Diocese, Honduras Medical Mission
PO Box 2006
Tupelo, MS 38803
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ronald Walsh, Sr., please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
Past Services
Guestbook
Visits: 30
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors