HARPSWELL — Robert E. Walsh, 72, died July 26 at his home. He was born Sept. 19, 1939, in Bronx, N.Y., the son of Michael and Grace Sauer Walsh.

He graduated from Smithtown (N.Y.) High School in 1957 and from the Maine Maritime Academy in 1960. That year, he also was given a commission in the U.S. Naval Reserves. On May 26, 1962, he married Marianne Marks.

Bob was honorably discharged from the Naval Reserves in 1972. In 1979, he graduated from the 34th class of The Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Waterville.

Walsh held various police ranks over the course of his career, including Deputy Sheriff in the Suffolk County (N.Y.) Sheriff’s Department, Special Agent in the Office of Naval Intelligence in New York City, Detective in the Waterfront  Commission of New York Harbor, and Police Chief of Vinalhaven. His most recent employment was with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department, where he served for more than 20 years before retiring as a lieutenant in 2006.

Walsh was an active member of every community in which he lived. He was a volunteer firefighter in Smithtown, N.Y., where he established the department’s first rescue company. In Maine, he was a volunteer for the Harpswell Neck Volunteer Fire Department and a substitute teacher at Mount Ararat High School in Topsham.

Walsh enjoyed model railroading, smoking cigars and spending time with family and friends. He was also fond of camping and traveling.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Marianne, of Harpswell; son Michael and his wife, Lindi; son Sean and his wife, Lisa, of Great Falls, Mont.; grandchildren Alan and Robbie, of Brunswick, and Alec and Austin, of Florida; a brother, Richard Walsh, and his wife, Sandra, of Winchester, Va.; and a nephew, Brian, also of Virginia.

A mass of Christian burial was celebrated Aug. 2 at St. Charles Borromeo Church-All Saints Parish, in Brunswick.

Donations in Walsh’s memory may be made to the St. Jude’s Tribute Program, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142

Memorial condolences may be expressed and a video tribute viewed at stetsonsfuneralhome.com.

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Robert E. Walsh