Richard Walsh Obituary

James Richard Walsh III passed away on March 20, 2026, in Cody, Wyoming.

Richard was born in Buffalo, New York to James Walsh, Jr. and Daisy (Prince) Walsh, and grew up in Charleston, South Carolina with his seven siblings. After graduating from Bishop England High School in 1972, Richard studied at Georgetown University. Upon graduation, he returned to Bishop England to teach church history for two years before pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of South Carolina, which he obtained in 1984.

Richard taught international relations at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, where he and his first wife Susan welcomed their two sons, Matthew and James. In 1989, Richard began teaching at the U.S. Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama, and in 1993, he joined the U.S. Foreign Service.

In 1999, he married fellow Foreign Service Officer, Jennifer De Witt, in the bride's hometown of Powell, Wyoming. Together they served at U.S. diplomatic posts in China, Venezuela, Nigeria, Jamaica, and Egypt, and had two children, John and Josephine.

After a final tour in Colombia, Richard retired in 2018 and accompanied Jennifer on tours to the Netherlands and Germany. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in November 2022 and relocated to his adopted home in Wyoming in January 2026.

Richard was preceded in death by his father. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer; his mother, Daisy; his seven siblings-sisters Barbara Bianchi, Susan Lipsey, Shannon O'Brien, Virginia Reijners, Mary Nickle, Patricia Dukes, and brother Michael; his four children: Matthew (Alison), James (Midori), John, and Josephine; and seven grandchildren.

A memorial will be held on Friday, August 7, at the Church of the Epiphany in Washington, DC.

Memorials may be made online at nwcollegefoundation.org/give. Choose "Other Scholarship or Program Name" and note either the Student Travel Endowment or the International Student Scholarship Endowment. Northwest College hosts over 100 international students each year, and sends students on international trips to deepen their understanding of cultural relations.