Don

I am shattered by news of the sudden death by accident of a dear friend to countless people and animals in Missouri. Don was Dr. Walsh, a veterinarian and character full of stories, and life, and laughter, always with a smile whenever you saw him. It is impossible to explain our long friendship that began in 1973. The effect he had on the life I have led was profound.

Though I have seen little of him in recent years, we never missed a beat, as close friends can do. The last picture I have of Don and Diana was taken November 5, 2024.

They were at Harry’s art show in October, just a few months ago. I spoke to him on the phone in October, and then life got complicated, as it does sometimes. I missed his eightieth birthday in December.

Diana sent me a note just two weeks ago, telling me that Don had put Harry on his prayer list.

“And there with his peers we may leave him, with all the good men and the true / Who have come to the Last of the Gateways and laughed and gone galloping through…” (Will H. Ogilvie)

Godspeed, Don Walsh, you will be missed by more than even you could imagine.