December 27, 2025
REST IN PEACE
Lynn, MA - John Coleman Walsh, age 92, of Lynn MA, died on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at Salem Hospital, following a brief illness. Coley was the devoted husband of the late Deborah Smith Walsh, with whom he shared over 49 years of marriage. He is survived by his loving children: Marissa Walsh, Steven Walsh and his wife Annie, and Joseph Walsh; his beloved grandchildren: Coley, Maeve, Myles, and Brigid Walsh; and his brothers-in-law, Ernest Smith, Jr., and James Smith and his wife Abbe. He was predeceased by his parents, Coleman and Margaret (O'Malley) Walsh, and his siblings: Kay Clifford, Joe Walsh, Marion Dalton, and Frannie Walsh.
Born in Boston in 1933, he grew up on Waldeck and Centre Streets and in St. Mark's Parish in Dorchester. His father died when he was five, and his mother raised her five young children on her own. He attended St. Mark's School, class of 1947, and when he was in the 8th grade, he earned a scholarship to attend Boston College High School, graduating in 1951. That scholarship, and the support and encouragement of good teachers, changed the trajectory of his life, and he became a strong advocate for education and educators.
Coley received a degree from St. John's Seminary in 1959 and entered the priesthood, serving at St. Mary's in Cambridge and Sacred Heart in Lynn. He was especially committed to the social justice teachings of the church, and the positive role priests can play in the community. He liked the work of a priest, but he also knew he wanted to have a family. Leaving the priesthood was a painful decision for him, but he loved being a partner to his best friend, Debbie, and a supportive father who took great pride in his children.
He spoke often of the many people who helped him find his path when he left the priesthood, and that path first led to Boston College, where he earned a master's degree in education while working in the housing office (and employing many Lynn kids as RAs). He made a stop as a guidance counselor at Greater Lawrence Regional School but found his real second vocation as a lobbyist (or legislative agent, as he preferred to be called) for various organizations, including the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts. A people person who was passionate about politics and policy, it was the perfect fit. Coley was known for being a pragmatic consensus builder and many important pieces of legislation he championed became law. He was a fixture at the State House (4th floor!) for almost 45 years, until his retirement in 2020, at age 86.
Coley was a lifelong learner and Renaissance man, and in 1983 he earned his Juris Doctor from Suffolk Law School. He was working full-time so went nights but got up with his kids every morning to make breakfast and get them off to school. The day his bar exam results came he ran out to the mailbox to receive them; becoming a lawyer was one of his proudest accomplishments.
An active member of the Lynn community, he was the former co-chair of the Lynn Democratic City Committee, and the former board president at both LEO and Lynn Youth Soccer. At Lynn Youth Soccer he stayed on even after his kids were too old to play because he valued the people he worked with there, and he was instrumental in securing Hood Park as LYS's permanent home.
Coley touched everyone he met with his intellect, his wit, and his kindness. He was quick to recite poetry and his favorite Latin sayings, and he would often burst into song or regale with a story. He never forgot the people who had helped him along the way, so he was always available to lend an ear or to give advice. He enjoyed mentoring and counseling, as that was the part of being a priest he missed the most.
He loved reading and read widely: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, his daily newspapers, Commonweal Magazine. He loved the beach (Marshfield), MSNBC, sports, ice cream, writing letters to the editor, and talking on the phone with his many friends and family including his devoted nieces and nephews, whom he adored: Peggy, Coley, Richard, Patrice, Diane, John, Mary Theresa, Kathleen, Loretta, Beth, Mark, Matt, Luke, Eric, Andrew, Hayley, Tristan, Chloe; their spouses; and his great-nieces and great-nephews.
A lifelong Democrat and social justice activist, Coley spent his last years deeply concerned for the future of our country, and even at his age he did everything he could to "work for the common good." He would encourage you to do the same.
Service Information: A Funeral will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at 9 a.m. from the SOLMINE FUNERAL HOME, 67 Ocean St. (Rt. 1A), Lynn followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Pius V Church, Lynn at 10 a.m. Livestream available at www.hostcatholic.org/livestream Burial will be in Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Visiting Hours will be on Friday from 4-7 p.m. Donations in Coley's memory may be made to the Deborah Smith Walsh Recuperative Care Center at Lynn Community Health Center at www.lynnchc.org/recuperative-care-center Directions and online guestbook at www.solimine.com