Walsh, Sara R.

BETHLEHEM – Sara Rosano Walsh died at her daughter’s home on October 27, 2022.

Mother of the Hon. Margaret Walsh and Maria Gallo, grandmother of Francesca Gallo and Michael Gallo, Sara was the wife of the late Cornelius Walsh, daughter of the late Mary Lomonoco Rosano and Philip Rosano and sister of Carmen (Colette) Rosano, Antonia Rosano Martin, and the late Concetta Rosano (Herman) Janard.

Sara’s last years were wonderful mainly because of her sister Tonia’s care. She also had the extraordinary fortune to have the kind and funny John O’Sullivan as a next-door neighbor, and to have the assistance of caregiver Lynette Jonas, with whom she shared a love of British mysteries, cricket, and Chinese food.

Sara is now reunited with her fellow adventurer and nephew Michael Rosano, who tragically died at 42. Sara was a constant in his life and that of his siblings, Lisa, Amy and Philip. The Rosanos and their families gave Sara joy throughout their lives, and they remained loving and attentive till the end of hers. The same is true of Tonia’s daughter Elizabeth, who was Sara’s companion and helper from the time she was a little girl.

When Connie died, leaving 33-year-old Sara with 2 small children, his siblings thought she would remarry and have little to do with the Walshes. But she adored the Walshes, and her in-laws became her friends, especially Peg. She also truly loved each one of her 20 Walsh nieces and nephews, and they returned her devotion.

Sara’s passion for the people she believed in fueled many political campaigns, including those of Jerry Jennings, Tom Nitido and her daughter. She had passion for the rights of women and children as well. “The sea is so wide and my boat is so small,” she would quote. In her early 70’s Sara could be found in an orange vest on Lark Street every Saturday morning, defending the ability of young women to access health care at Planned Parenthood.

A few highlights of Sara’s career: she designed the St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center (SPARC) program and was its first director; as Associate Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany, she established social services programs in, particularly, the rural counties of the Diocese; at the New York State Department of Social Services, Sara implemented and analyzed the Federal Indian Child Welfare Act in consultation with tribal chiefs, and she was a family therapist for dually diagnosed adolescents at the Venice (Florida) Hospital.

Sara enjoyed opera, bridge and sports (especially football - the Giants - and baseball – the Yankees, and she was a very good basketball player); she also spent her time gardening, reading and birdwatching. Above all, she liked to explore. From New York’s museums, piano bars and Broadway shows, to Italy’s Trevi Fountain, Venice water taxi, and Mount Etna, Sara enjoyed experiencing new places and meeting the people she encountered.

Sara earned a B.A. from St. Rose, which later presented her with a “Distinguished Alumna of the Year” award, and an MSW from Boston College.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, December 29 at 10:30 at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, 607 Central Ave. Albany. Relatives and friends are invited to attend.