It is with great sadness that after a short illness, long-time Cumberland resident Betty Walsh passed away peacefully on Saturday January 11th, 2025 at the Mayo Clinic in Lacrosse, Wisconsin.

Betty was the beloved wife of the late Jack Walsh and will be lovingly remembered by her 4 children, Aggi, Tom, Tim and John, 6 grandchildren, Keegan, Devany, Isabella, Olivia, Pierce and Alexis, and 2 great grandchildren, Jack and Poppy.

Born Betty Ann Krause to immigrant parents in 1935, Betty grew up in Chicago where she first developed her life-long interests in reading, music and the general pursuit of knowledge. Betty had a younger sister Helen who passed away in 2007. Betty left Chicago in 1953 to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at Northern Illinois University where she met Jack Walsh. Jack and Betty were married on August 10th, 1957 in Chicago. They decided to head north to the wilds of Northern Wisconsin first moving to Menomonie, then Ladysmith, and finally settling in Cumberland in 1965 where Betty lived until recently.

Betty went back to college at UW Eau Claire in 1972 to earn her Master’s Degree specializing in teaching children with learning disabilities. She taught at Barron Middle School for 10 years, and then moved to Almena teaching 2nd grade for another 13 years. She continued to keep in touch with many of her former pupils and fellow teachers. Betty retired from teaching in 1998.

Betty was a well-known member of the community in Cumberland and an active member of the Catholic church. With 4 children, Betty’s house on 4th Avenue was often bustling with visitors and ‘Mrs. Walsh’ was known as being gracious, if strict, by her children’s many childhood friends.

Betty was a caring and devoted wife, best demonstrated by her selfless determination through the near decade of daily support and care she provided to Jack through his long battle and steady decline from dementia. They were happily married for 53 years. In her later years, Betty drove from Cumberland to Florida to spend the Winter, and drove herself home again in the Spring.

She will be interred next to her husband in the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spooner. Plans for a service are pending.

Last Update: Jan 17, 2025 1:37 pm CST