Lois Ann Schnur Walsh

Lois Ann Schnur Walsh, 76, of Cranberry Township left this life early Saturday morning after suffering from terminal cancer for the past several years.

Her children and grandchildren are heartbroken, but overflowing with gratitude for the years they had with this amazing woman. Everyone who knew her understands the depth of her compassion and optimism. She was known for her warmth, her cooking, her flower and vegetable garden and her love for family and people in general.

Lois walked her path with deep faith. She was a great fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates (her “Buccos”), never missing a game, even during her sick years.

Mom was born and raised in the tiny hamlet of Herman, Pa., in a hard-working, humble family. Her father was hired at Armco Steel Mill the day Lois was born in 1940. She met her husband, Doug Walsh, at a square dance at the Sarver Fire Hall and married him by the end of that year.

Even when Lois was suffering from her disease, she always projected a positive and loving image. She provided her family with an example of unconditional love, with seeing the best in others, with the importance of laughter, and with the art of enduring difficult times with dignity. Her children and grandchildren consider her a saint.

We are left with Lois' legacy all around us: in her grandchildren, in her youngest son, Matt, who cared for her in her final month with so much skill and compassion, in the trees and flowers that she nursed and cared for, in the peacefulness of her house and in the gentleness of her relationships. We celebrate how one life can touch others, a life that walked so gently on this Earth, with such care and compassion.

Lois Walsh has finished her journey, but her love outlives her, in the hearts and minds of those who were fortunate to receive her grace.

She leaves behind to cherish her memory, her mother, Dorothy C. Schnur of Herman; her seven children, Douglas R. (fiancée Rebecca Whitaker) Walsh of Olympia, Wash., Gregory J. (Tina) Walsh of Middleton, Md., James P. Walsh of Denver, Colo., Laura L. (Lem) Menelaws of East Hampton, N.Y., Timothy F. (Monica Torres) Walsh of West Lafayette, Ind., Mary B. (Matthew Weiss) Walsh of Boston, Mass., and Matthew E. Walsh of Cranberry Township; her daughter-in-law, Gabriela Flora; her adopted son, Lammot Dupont; 12 grandchildren, Hannah, Evan and Callum Menelaws, Allison, Rachel, Patrick and William Walsh, Liliana Flora-Walsh, Marisol and John Paul Walsh, Bryan Calderon and Claire Weiss; two brothers, Bob and Tom Schnur; four sisters, Nancy Schnur, Rita Thompson, Betty Wolfe and Mary Ellen Rodgers; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her father, Robert Schnur, Lois was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 52 years, Douglas E. Walsh, whom she married Dec. 29, 1962, and who died March 18, 2015.

WALSH — Friends of Lois Ann Schnur Walsh, who died Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, will be received from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Boylan-Glenn-Kildoo Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 130 Wisconsin Ave., Cranberry Township.A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Ferdinand Catholic Church, 2535 Rochester Road, Cranberry Township, with the Rev. John Gallagher as celebrant.She will be laid to rest beside her husband at St. Mary's Cemetery in Herman.If desired, memorial donations may be made in her honor to ACPMP (Appendix Cancer Pseudomyxoma Peritonel Research Foundation) at 6415 Granger Road, Suite 200, Independence, OH 44131 (acpmp.org).Expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at www.boylanfuneralservices.com.