Sara Elizabeth Walsh, 86, a former and longtime resident of Waynesboro, died Sunday, May 11, 2025, in the comfort of her daughter's home in Zebulon, North Carolina.

She was born May 20, 1938, in Smithfield, North Carolina, the daughter of Wilbert Worth Blackman and Mattie Beatrice (Matthews) Blackman.

She graduated from the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, Greensboro in 1961 with a B.S. in Secretarial Administration and proceeded to live and work in the Washington D.C. area, including a stint at the Pentagon. She met her husband, John, during that time and they were married in 1966. She arrived in Waynesboro in the fall of 1975 with her family and was greeted by the local Welcome Wagon. Shortly thereafter she became a member of First Baptist Church where she enjoyed serving on one of the Wednesday evening cook teams and later as a deaconess.

She was active in the community and participated on bowling teams, in bridge clubs, and on the Welcome Wagon committee. She also volunteered as a leader for the Boy (Cub) Scouts and Girl Scouts of America. She had a passion to serve young girls and ladies through the Girl Scouts, an organization that had a significant impact on her as a child. In addition to leading local Senior Troop 90, she served for a number of years on the Virginia Skyline Council advocating on behalf of the girls. Scouting afforded her the opportunity to impact lives and a chance to see the world.

Not one to be idle, she attended night school and earned an M.S. in Education from James Madison University in 1979. She turned this into an opportunity to be a substitute teacher and to develop her own small business offering typing and clerical services.

A generous and loving person, she was not afraid to share her time, resources, and emotions with others. She was a devoted wife and mother. She took a keen interest in her extended family including children and grandchildren from her husband's previous marriage. She also made time to know her children's friends and their families, considering many of them like her own family.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, John Patrick Walsh, and her sister, Beatrice Ruth (Blackman) Lambert. Surviving are her children, Thomas and Shellie Walsh of Hillsboro, OR, and Juliana Walsh of Zebulon, NC; brother, Wilbert and Carolyn Blackman of Salisbury, NC; three grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends during a time of visitation at McDow Funeral Home on May 21st from 5:00- 6:00 pm and a memorial service will follow from 6:00 - 7:00 pm. A private interment will be held at 11:00 am at Augusta Memorial Park on May 22nd.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Parkinson's Foundation, National Breast Cancer Foundation, or World Vision.