Bill Walsh

Gerald Wilfred Walsh was born on July 11, 1933 in Jamestown, ND, the son of Wilfred and Myrtle (Reese) Walsh. He was born premature and so small that his Dad nicknamed him Little Billy, after his Great Uncle. The Catholic nuns (that were also nurses at the hospital) made a mistake and recorded his birthdate as July 12, 1933, as that, according to Bill was when he “finished cooking in the incubator”. Bill always celebrated his birthday on the 12^th, never finding out his real birthdate until joining the Navy at 17 years old.

Bill grew up on his Grandparents farm outside Buchanan, North Dakota. He and his older brother Eddie worked alongside their Uncle Lonnie, raising wheat, oats, barley, corn and flax. They had a number of horses and milk cows. When the family moved to Jamestown, Bill and Eddie, along with their sisters, Betty and Tiny still spent every summer and weekends working the farm. Bill and Eddie loved horses and broke many to ride and trained others to pull carts.

Bill attended Jamestown schools, graduating from Jamestown High School in 1951. He enlisted in the US Navy June 18, 1951 and served aboard the USS Baltimore CA68 – Heavy Cruiser during the Korean Conflict. He was a Forward Observer, a crucial position held by few servicemen. A highlight of Bill’s Navy career was when The USS Baltimore represented the United States at Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation, June 15, 1953 at Spithead Bay, England. The last four months of Bill’s service was aboard the light cruiser, USS Roanoke. He received an honorable discharge, leaving the Navy June 18, 1954 at RS Boston, MA with the rank of SN-1.

Bill attended the University of North Dakota from 1954-1960, eventually earning his BA in Business Administration and Accounting from Jamestown College. 

Bill met and married Deloris (Flaig) Fidge in Jamestown November 17, 1967. After living in Jamestown for a few years they moved to Montana, eventually settling in Colorado where they lived for many years, with their adopted sons, Todd and Michael. The family had many cats and dogs over the years that were always spoiled with love and attention and were considered members of the family.

Bill worked for many years as a bookkeeper/accountant for Western Gear in Jamestown, as well as construction companies in Colorado. In 2010 Deloris, Bill and Todd moved back to Jamestown where Bill took a position with MAC’s Hardware, working there for 10 years, before retiring just three years ago.

Bill was an amazing cook, first learning how when he was 9 years old, on the Walsh farm’s old cook-stove that ran on coal.  He honed his cooking skills throughout his life – his wild rice and sausage stuffing for Thanksgivings was legendary, and could never be duplicated by anyone. Bill’s baking skills were excellent as well, baking fruitcakes for friends and family every Christmas.  He even cooked homemade dog food for his beloved dog, Dallas. 

Bill was a master story teller, quick-witted and funny. He loved kids and was always joining in on his nieces and nephews activities. His visits were always great occasions to look forward to. He enjoyed music, glass mosaic work, writing, reading and sharing poetry. He was a voracious reader. History was his favorite subject, being particularly fond of reading about the US presidents and other founding fathers.  He was a walking encyclopedia of little-known facts, and he would quickly tell you Hamilton was his favorite. One of Bill’s favorite past-times was his daily coffee meetings with old friends, taking part in lively discussion about life and politics.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his siblings Betty Joslin, Tiny Jorgenson and Eddie Walsh, his niece Anne Walsh Kaloustian, his wife, Deloris, his step-children Bonnie Schweitzer and Ottis Fidge, his adopted sons Michael Niess and Todd Fidge, and son-in-law Randall Buettenback. He leaves behind 14 nieces and nephews, 11 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and his step-daughters Brenda Buettenback and Madylin Neumann.