David I. Walsh

David I. Walsh, 90, of Kingsland, GA, passed away on Tuesday, October 28, at the Philip Hulitar Inpatient Hospice Center in Providence, RI. Born in Amesbury, MA, he was the only son of Nicholas and Catherine (Wall) Walsh. Predeceased by his wives Jane (Chase) Walsh and Helen (DeFina) Walsh, he is survived by his wife Constance (Foster) Walsh, of East Greenwich, RI. A beloved father and grandfather, he leaves six children, David Walsh of McNeal, AZ, Edward Walsh of Copley, OH, Mary Patty of Wakefield, RI, Michael Walsh of Renton, WA, John Walsh of Glastonbury, CT, and James Walsh of Wakefield, RI, and four grandchildren, John and Joseph Walsh of Copley, OH, and Jeffrey and Nicholas Walsh of Glastonbury, CT. Mr. Walsh began his career with Pratt & Whitney in 1942 and served as an aeronautical engineer for the U.S. Navy during WW II, stationed in England and Scotland. After the war, he began a long and successful career as an engineer and executive in textile manufacturing, most notably for Charles Klein in Mexico City from 1949 to 1954 and, starting in 1954, for Rayon Processing Co., now known as Microfibres, of Pawtucket, RI, where he worked for more than 40 years, retiring as senior vice president. He was instrumental in developing a continuous in-line flock cutting process whose first major application was the flocked blanket, and designed and developed much of the flocking machinery used today in the United States and overseas. A memorial service will be held at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery Chapel, 550 Wampanoag Trail, East Providence, RI, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 22. A reception will follow at The Old Grist Mill Tavern, 390 Fall River Avenue, Seekonk, MA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to The Nature Conservancy, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203, or Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island, 169 George Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860.