Will County Executive Larry Walsh Has Passed Away At The Age Of 72
Will County has lost an icon as WJOL has learned that County Executive Larry Walsh has passed away at the age of 72 years old. Walsh was born on March 3rd 1948 in Joliet, Illinois. He graduated from Joliet East High School in 1966 and continued his education at Joliet Junior College where he received a degree in 1968 in business and agriculture. In 1970 he was elected to his first of what would be many public positions after winning a race for a seat on the Elwood School Board. Just three years later, Walsh was elected to serve as a Jackson Township Trustee. Walsh was also elected to the Will County board on two separate occasions, in 1974 and then in 1992. From 1997 to 2005 he served as an Illinois State Senator for the 43rd District and served with future President Barack Obama, when the latter served in the state senate from 1997 to 2004. Walsh returned home to Will County in 2004 when he was elected to the position of Will County Executive, a position he continued to serve in until his term was due to expire later this year. He was re-elected to the Executive seat in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Some of his accomplishments at Executive include the not-yet-complete construction of the Will County Courthouse, the new Will County Health Department Building and a new facility for the Will County Sheriff’s Office.
He was also a dedicated family man as he and his wife Irene had six children (Larry Jr., Frank, Matthew, Sarah, Shawn, Brian) and 20 grandchildren. Other than his passion for his family and serving his community, he was also a proud farmer and operated a small piece of land in Elwood for many years. Arrangements have not yet been made public. This is a developing story.
Below is a photo gallery of some of Larry’s moments with WJOL and in the community.