Madeline (Van Buskirk) Walsh

Madeline Walsh (Van Buskirk) of Pearl River passed away peacefully early morning Friday, June 3, 2022 after a brief but courageous battle with cancer at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey. She was 62.

Maddy worked as a Court Transcriptionist for the New Jersey State Court System. She was blessed to work in this position for 26 years up until the start of her illness from home, leaving her all the time in the world to spend with her cherished children.

Affectionately known to many as Maddy, Mrs. Walsh, Mama Walsh, she was born on November 2, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York to Edgar Van Buskirk and Madeline (Corcoran) Van Buskirk. She was educated in Holy Name Grammar School before moving to Elmwood Park, NJ with her family. She continued and finished her education at Passaic High School. Her roots were extremely strong to Brooklyn leaving her to spend most if not all of her weekends with her cherished Aunt Dolores. She loved telling all the 13th Street and 19th Street stories to anyone and everyone.

It was in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn where as a young teenager she met Patrick Walsh. It was in this connection, she would start to date at the age of 18 and get married at the age of 23.  It was this marriage that brought her the biggest blessings she always said she had and it was her six children. They lived in Brooklyn up until the family outgrew their house. In 1996, she moved to Pearl River, New York.

Always considered the life of the party, Maddy always looked forward to the vacations her family were able to take. From summers at Breezy Point, NY, Seaside Heights, NJ, Wildwood, NJ to Long Beach Island, she loved any and all the reasons to be in the sunshine digging her feet deep in the sand. On most of these trips many family and friends often joined in on the fun. Her love for the beach passed to her daughters which resulted in their annual girls trip where they traveled to Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas together. Cut short by the start of Covid, Aruba looked very high as their next destination. Maddy also had a huge love for music which included favorites like Billy Joel to Queen to the Eagles. Any opportunity she was given, she would grab her sons to dance with. A devout Catholic Maddy spent her Sunday mornings watching mass on television. She prayed daily for all those who surrounded her.

Maddy will be remembered for her warmth and kindness. Never needing any reason to celebrate or have people come together, her love for Christmas was extremely strong. Gathering her children and decorating the inside of their home from top to bottom was always special to her. She was very adamant at keeping up with traditions while creating new ones. As each year passed, new memories were always made with an extra person here and there who would stop by.

Her Brooklyn roots never left her, leaving many who spent enough time with her, talk with the strong accent she never lost. Her laugh was contagious and she was full of love. She made everyone feel welcome and was always willing to talk with you with her open door policy leading to many kitchen table talks.  It was an absolute must to have the hot tea ready. She might have given birth to six children biologically but her children's friends would always come to her for any life advice turning her into the ultimate Second Mom or Town Mom. It was often at these moments where she said she should and could write so many books. No matter how brief or long you knew her, Maddy welcomed you with open arms and you left as her friend. She was truly one of a kind, a true legend, force to be reckoned with and will be sorely missed by all who knew her..

She is predeceased by her father Edgar Van Busirk, as well as her favorite Aunts, Dolores, Muriel, and Eileen along with so many others.

Her memory will forever live on in the lives of her children, Meghan, Patrick, Daniel, John, Madeline, and Joseph Walsh. In addition to her children and Patrick Walsh, Maddy is survived by her mother Madeline Van Buskirk; sisters Muriel Pendleton (Al), and Kathy Murray (Jimmy); her brothers John Van Buskirk (Roberta) and Edgar Van Buskirk as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Friends may send memorial donations to St. Judes Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Visiting will be held Wednesday June 8, from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 PM at Wyman-Fisher Funeral Home Inc.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10:00 AM Thursday at St. Aedan R.C. Church, Pearl River, NY.  

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Madeline (Van Buskirk) Walsh, please visit our floral store.