Rita Jean (Naville) Walsh

Rita Jean Walsh, 97, of Indianapolis, Indiana, passed away on June 17, 2026. Born in Floyds Knobs, Indiana, on October 3, 1928, she was the oldest child of Bertha C. Bierman and John P. Naville.

She dedicated countless hours as a member of St. Catherine of Siena, Holy Name, St. Roch, and Good Shepherd parishes over the years. Her leadership roles included the Altar Society, Catholic Daughters of America, Eucharistic Adoration, Marian Prayer Group, Prayer Line, Homebound Visitation, and Blood Drives, the earliest of which she coordinated at St. Catherine during the blizzard of 1978. She received the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the St. Anne de Beaupré Awards from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis for her service to Catholic youth.

Rita was a Benedictine Oblate for 80 years, first with St. Meinrad Archabbey and then with Our Lady of Grace Monastery. She served in the Ave Maria Guild, which raises funds for the Monastery, and helped at St. Paul Hermitage. She also volunteered for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank for years; later, as her mobility declined, she took calls for their Help Line as a way of assisting from home. Rita showed her devotion to God by spending time in prayer and attending daily Mass at St. Paul Hermitage, and until her passing, watched daily Mass on Catholic TV. She looked forward to receiving Communion weekly even after she couldn’t attend Mass in person.

She graduated from an all-girls boarding school, the Academy of the Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Indiana, in 1946. In her later years, she said, “I was taught by Benedictines all my life and am still learning from them.”

She worked as a secretary until marrying the love of her life, Thomas Walsh, on July 1, 1950. After devoting the first 10 years of marriage exclusively to motherhood, she attended House of James Beauty College and operated the Curlie Corner Beauty Shop in the basement of her home for 32 years. Friends and relatives enjoyed cups of coffee, sweet treats, and conversation as they got perms and cuts. Later, she also worked at St. Francis Hospital, Beech Grove, in the Admitting Department.

Rita met some of her dearest friends through TOPS, Take Off Pounds Sensibly. She was a founding member of the IN-1005 chapter on Walker Avenue, still operating today. Tuesday weigh-ins meant light meals on Mondays. She was proud to reach her goal weight and become a KOPS, Keep Off Pounds Sensibly, in 2008, inspiring others to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

She loved music and dancing, which she and Tom did often in their younger years and she enjoyed watching on TV in her later years. She listened to live music frequently and played the piano from childhood until recently. A player piano in her family room brought joy to Rita and everyone who came to visit; it was her favorite form of exercise. Additional hobbies included crocheting prayer shawls, afghans, and scarves; sewing clothes when her children were small; traveling to nine countries and nearly every state; and playing games and cards of all kinds. She started a Euchre Club in 1955 and later a Canasta Club, which both met monthly until her passing. She learned to play Bridge at age 96.

Her greatest joys were getting her family together for chicken and dumplings and other delicious food, and playing cards and games with them and her huge network of friends. Time around the kitchen table was special for all who visited the house where she lived for 73 years and where she and Tom raised all their children. Rita was grateful for spending all but her last six days at home, due in large part to the loving care she received from her family caregivers, most especially her son Joe, who lived with her the past 2 1/2 years after he retired. She passed at Franciscan Hospice House while praying in bed with her granddaughter Meghan.

Rita is survived by her children Thomas N. Walsh, Jr., (Maile), Mary Ellen Uptain (Douglas Clayton), Joseph A. Walsh, Susan M. Walsh (James Carper), and Karen A. Davis (Todd); her 13 grandchildren; and her 25 great-grandchildren. Her most recent great-grandchild, born in February of this year, carries forward the name of Rita. Her sister, Donna Book, also survives her, along with several nieces and nephews. Rita was preceded in death by her parents, Bertha and John Naville; her beloved husband of 41 years, Thomas “Tom” Walsh; her infant child, Paul Michael; her son Kevin G. Walsh; and her son John P. Walsh and his wife, Margaret Walsh.

Visitation will be on Sunday, June 28, from 2:00 until 6:00 p.m. at Lauck and Veldhof Funeral Home, 1458 S. Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46225. The Rosary will be prayed at 5:45 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 2905 Carson Avenue, Indianapolis, IN, 46203, with Fr. Tom Clegg presiding. Additional visitation will precede the Mass at Good Shepherd from 10:00–11:00 a.m. Interment will follow the Mass at Calvary Cemetery, 435 W. Troy Avenue, Indianapolis, IN, 46225. In lieu of flowers, Rita has requested that donations be made to Good Shepherd Catholic Church or Our Lady of Grace Monastery (1402 Southern Avenue, Beech Grove, IN, 46107).

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