Winifred Barritt Walsh

Winifred Clare Barritt Walsh, age 75, died July 21, 2026.

Born September 12, 1950 in Charlottesville, Virginia, she grew up in Lexington, Virginia and was the daughter of the late Carlyle Westbrook Barritt and Mabel Cunningham Sites Barritt.

She married William Emmet Walsh on August 7, 1971. Winnie and Bill fell in love at first sight and remained devoted to each other.

Winnie graduated from Duke University in three years with a B.A. degree in English literature. She wrote for the Lexington News-Gazette while her husband attended Washington and Lee University's law school.

Moving to Bill's hometown of Spartanburg in 1974, Winnie worked for Wofford and Spartanburg Methodist colleges. While at Wofford, she designed the cover for the college's catalogue which is still in use more than 50 years later.

In 1986 she began work at the Spartanburg County Public Libraries. She was the first local history assistant in the Kennedy Room at the Library and began the obituary indexing project. She ended her 20+ year career at the library as Coordinator of Development and Marketing for the library system.

At home she had many hobbies including needlepoint and genealogy. She loved the thrill of the hunt when chasing down a relative, be they living or dead! Winnie loved to work the New York Times Sunday crossword in ink and with a timer. She wrote a history of her husband's Walsh ancestors in America as well as a history of her Barritt family. Winnie also wrote a number of magazine articles and edited several books.

She was a member and past regent of the Battle of Cowpens Chapter of the DAR. A popular speaker to local clubs she was known as the 'scribe of death" for her program on obituaries and often wrote obituaries for others upon request.

She was a member of The Book Club, the Book Review Club, and the Vera Davis Parsons Garden Club. A member of First Presbyterian Church since 1974, she served as a Deacon and an Elder for several terms and for many years served as church Archivist. She was a ninth-generation Presbyterian.

Winnie battled health problems all her life and early onset Parkinson's disease led to her retirement from her beloved library in 2007. An avid horsewoman in her youth, a fall led to five back surgeries. Her health did not destroy her sense of humor nor her enthusiasm for life. To combat Parkinson's, she worked out often with her trainer, Shawn Maple. She also loved the movement class offered by Ballet Spartanburg for People with Parkinson's. She reached out to newly diagnosed Parkinson's patients to help them adapt to their disease.

In addition to her husband, Winnie is survived by two sons, Westbrook Emmet Walsh and his wife Elizabeth of Columbia, and Carlyle Barritt Walsh and his wife Kannika of Greenville, and grandchildren William Russell, Brooke Elizabeth, Emily Katherine, Saharad Barritt (Sam), Apasra Winifred (Sara), and Surisa Mary (Suri) Walsh. Her only sister, Julia Westbrook Barritt, died in 1968. Winnie was blessed with many friends.

Rev. Alan Dyer and Rev. Rachel Klompmaker will conduct a Service of Witness to the Resurrection at 3:00pm on Monday, July 27, 2026 at First Presbyterian Church. The family will receive friends following the service in the Perrin Room. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 393 E. Main Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302