Robert "Bob" Walsh: A Tribute

Robert “Bob” Walsh: A Tribute

We are deeply saddened by the passing of this longtime trustee, volunteer, friend and community leader.

A true friend to the homeless men and women of Boston and to Pine Street Inn for over 40 years, Bob was committed to bringing hope and respect to our guests, tenants and trainees.

Bob Walsh, his wife Karylann, and their children and grandchildren could always be seen in our shelters around the holidays, setting up the dining room to welcome guests.

Bob and Karylann were honored for 40 years of service a few years back, and we dedicated stained glass windows in our Men’s Inn dining room in their honor.

A few months ago, we were fortunate enough to talk to Bob about his longtime connection to Pine Street. Below is an excerpt of that conversation:

“Over the years, Pine Street has changed in that it’s gone from the ‘a hot and a cot’ (a meal and bed for the night) to a much more sophisticated, multiservice organization. At the same time, it has not lost its primary mission of helping the individual. It’s kept that. We and other places in this country have demonstrated that, with the appropriate level of services, people can go right from shelters — or not even shelters, right from the street — to permanent housing. And that’s what we try to do.

Housing is successful because tenants receive support from staff . And most importantly, they now have a home. They have a key. I mean, seeing the person open that door to his or her apartment, that’s the biggest thing. Most of us can’t begin to understand that.”

The homeless men and women of Boston have lost a great friend and advocate.

A recent photo of Bob Walsh (second from right) with (left to right), Pine Street President Lyndia Downie and fellow founding board members Vin McCarthy and Msgr. Frank Kelley