Friends Shattered Over Cinnaminson Woman's Death in Fatal Accident

Caring. Compassionate. Considerate. Gail Walsh exemplified all of those traits, and so many more.

Walsh, 57, of Sussex Drive, died at the scene of a freakish accident in Cherry Hill last Thursday afternoon, when a dump truck hauling sand heading westbound on Haddonfield-Berlin Road swerved to avoid a third vehicle, causing the dump truck to overturn atop Walsh’s SUV, which was heading eastbound.

She is survived by her husband, Dan, who owns a specialty plastics company in Philadelphia, and her two sons, Cody, 16, and Dillon, 19. 

On the day of the accident, Walsh was on her way to a doctor’s appointment to get a shot for a back ailment. Jane Lindh, Walsh’s mother, lived at the Walsh home and would accompany her daughter on daily outings. At the last minute, Lindh had decided to go to a church luncheon, said Tom Ladislaw, Walsh’s next-door neighbor.

“Gail's job was to make everyone comfortable and happy,” Ladislaw, 58, said of Walsh’s giving nature, choking back tears. “I had a heart and kidney transplant 17 months ago, and besides my family, Gail was always there for me during my recuperation.”

Walsh was devoted to many causes—the main one being Autism Speaks, of which she tirelessly campaigned to raise money and awareness for autism. Walsh’s sons are both autistic. According to Ladislaw, both boys were told their mother had gone to heaven, but they still have been questioning her whereabouts. 

“Our whole neighborhood is mourning,” Ladislaw said of the tightly knit community with strong bonds.

Ladislaw said neighbors and friends have organized meals for Walsh’s family through the website Take Them A Meal.

Each May, Walsh and her squad would participate in the Walk Now For Autism Speaks event. Last year, Walsh’s team raised $27,000 for the nonprofit organization, the second-highest amount for the 2011 event, said Christina Carty, executive director of the Delaware Valley Chapter of Autism Speaks. Walsh was to be honored at the Feb. 3 Autism Speaks awards’ celebration for her spectacular fundraising, which Carty estimates to be more than $100,000 in the last five years. 

“Gail would always ask what we needed, how much more money, and she would find a way to raise more funds,” Carty said. “She would pull support from police departments, boaters, teachers and counselors." 

Carty, who lives only a couple of blocks from the deadly crash site, said traffic was deadlocked for hours. It was only later that Carty found out that the fatal accident had involved and taken Walsh’s life.

"When I heard it was Gail," Carty said, "I was heartbroken."

It seemed that tragedy followed the Walsh family, who in the last five years had buried five family members. The couple had buried an older son, Kevin, 27, who had been severely disabled and unable to speak or feed himself. Also, Walsh’s older brother, Douglas Lindh, had died from injuries he had sustained after a diving accident years earlier had left him paralyzed. Plus, Walsh's father and her husband's parents had also died within the last few years.

“With everything she had been through, she never let it get to her,” Kathi Alven, 56, said, a friend who met Walsh in the fourth grade in Palmyra. “She would have parties and go to the Phillies...she just kept going.”

Not only the autism community, but The in Moorestown has suffered a serious loss as well, said assistant principal Paul Leonardi. Walsh’s boys have been students at the school for four years. 

“Gail was a very dedicated mother and member of our school community. She was always striving for her sons, and she was very supportive of the school’s programs,” Leonardi said. “The loss is going to be felt for a long time."

Sgt. Michael Rann of the Cherry Hill Police Department said the investigation into the cause of the accident is still pending. 

“It might take up to six weeks before the investigation concludes,” Rann said.  

Visitation is between 7 and 9 p.m. tonight at the Weber Funeral Home, 112 Broad St., Riverton, and from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday at Epworth United Methodist Church, 50 Morgan Ave., Palmyra, followed by a service.

Donations may be made to Autism Speaks, Greater Delaware Valley Chapter, 216 Haddon Ave., Suite 403, Westmont, N.J. 08108.