Emmet Michael Walsh Sr.

Emmet Michael Walsh Sr. died on May 20, 2021, after a seven-year battle with Lewy body dementia. Emmet was a respected mechanical engineer who ran his own commercial HVAC company, Emmet M. Walsh Associates Inc., for 34 years in Atlanta. A proud Georgia Tech graduate, Emmet worked on landmarks around the city, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia Tech’s Technology Square, Emory University, Crawford Long Memorial Hospital, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Concourse Corporate Center V and VI, aka the King and Queen towers.

Emmet was married to Catherine Poplin Walsh of Decatur, Georgia, for 53 years. They had two children, Emmet Michael Walsh Jr. of Loganville, Georgia, and Theresa Walsh Giarrusso, of Upper Montclair, New Jersey, and five grandchildren, whom he adored.

A devout Catholic, Emmet attended St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Decatur for 53 years. He was known for his friendliness, kindness and generosity of spirit, always willing to hire those in need at his company.

Emmet was the last surviving child of six boys born to Mary Cecile Holland and Anthony Leonard Walsh, both deceased. The brothers, in birth order, were Tony, Steve, Emmet, Terence, Dennis and Johnny. They were born and raised in Savannah. The boys learned about hard work and how to be entrepreneurs, running small businesses to help their family.

As a businessman, Emmet was known for his stellar service and ability to solve problems. He continued to work for four years after his diagnosis. He sold his business to JEDCO Supply in 2016 and retired in 2018.

Emmet also was an inventor. He created a device to balance inaccessible dampers above a hard ceiling with a remote, for which he received a U.S. Patent. He also created two games. Energy Systems by Walsh was created during the energy crisis in the 1970s and was sold at FAO Schwartz in Lenox Mall. He later created a Rubik’s Cube for blind people. The Tex Cube by Walsh used textured fabrics instead of colors. It was sold in the 1980s through an association for the blind.

Emmet graduated from Savannah High School in 1962 and attended Georgia Tech on a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship. After graduation in 1967, Emmet served four years in the U.S. Navy, rising to lieutenant. He served aboard the USS Wrangell and USS Intrepid.

Emmet met his wife while working on his Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity’s charity event co-hosted by Cathy’s Georgia State University sorority, Delta Zeta. Two years later, he asked her to marry him before heading out to sea. They married March 24, 1968.

Emmet loved being a grandfather. He would stop by to play with his grandchildren after a long workday. He attended ballet recitals, basketball and soccer games, and cheering events. He loved taking the kids out on Halloween and playing with them on the beach.

Emmet also loved all his nieces and nephews and seeing their babies when the extended family gathered in Savannah for St. Patrick’s Day.

Emmet was known for being loquacious. He always smiled and chatted with everyone he met.

In addition to his wife and children, Emmet is survived by his daughter-in-law Melanie Walsh, son-in-law Michael Giarrusso, and grandchildren Sadie and Maxwell Walsh and Cassandra Rose, Walsh and Lilina Giarrusso.

Visitation and a viewing will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, May 28, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Decatur. A funeral Mass will follow at 3 p.m. Masks and social distancing will be required. A burial service will be held this summer in Savannah’s Catholic Cemetery.

Memorial donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, online or mailed to LBDA, 912 Killian Hill Road, S.W. Lilburn, GA 30047.

The Mass for Mr. Walsh will be streamed on the church's website and Facebook Page