John “Jack” Walsh died peacefully March 3 at the home he shared with his wife Kate on Bainbridge Island. He was surrounded by his loving family. He was 79.

Walsh was born Nov. 27, 1929, in Seattle to John and Agnes Walsh. He graduated from Ballard High School in 1947 and attended the University of Washington, graduating in 1951 with a degree in business administration and a commission in the U.S. Navy. That same year he married Dorothy Olsen, with whom he shared 45 years.

While in the Navy, Walsh was a Supply Corps officer, and served in Europe, the Far East, and Washington, D.C. Walsh retired from the Navy in 1971 as a lieutenant commander after serving at the Naval Torpedo Station, Keyport.

Later in life, “Captain Jack” earned his Coast Guard License and worked at the Marine Science Center in Poulsbo where his duties included giving boat tours of Liberty Bay to school children. Walsh loved sailing and spent many summers cruising the waters of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. He was an active member of the Poulsbo Yacht Club and the Agate Pass Power Squadron, where he taught safe boating classes and served as commodore. Walsh also loved music. He was an avid piano and guitar player, and sang with the Bainbridge Chorale.

In 2001, he married Kate Cunningham and lived on Bainbridge Island.

Jack is survived by his wife, Kate; sons John “Skip,” Doug and Mike “Deeter;” step-children Roy and Carl Cunningham and Sheila Fricke; 18 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and his former wife Dorothy.

The family will hold a private memorial later this spring. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or Hospice of Kitsap County.