Sr. Martha Ellen Walsh, S.C.

Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Martha Walsh died on June 27, 2026, at the age of 90 in Mother Margaret Hall on the Mount St. Joseph campus.

Sister Martha was born on Dec. 10, 1935, in Xenia, Ohio, to Henry W. and Catherine (McCurran) Walsh. She was the youngest of seven children, with three sisters and three brothers. She was a Sister of Charity for 68 years.

Raised in Xenia, Sister Martha attended St. Brigid Grade School and graduated from St. Brigid High School in 1953. She enrolled at the College of Mount St. Joseph that fall and graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing. Having been taught by the Sisters of Charity throughout her education, she entered the Sisters of Charity in September 1957. Reflecting on that decision, she once said, “I have never regretted it for one minute.”

Committed to lifelong learning and excellence in nursing, Sister Martha earned a Master of Science in Nursing with a certificate in nurse-midwifery from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in 1973. She completed a one-year internship at Booth Maternity Center in Philadelphia in 1974 and later earned a master's degree in Religious Studies from the College of Mount St. Joseph in 2001.

Sister Martha began her health care ministry in 1959 as a nurse and nursing supervisor at Mother Margaret Hall. From 1960 to 1961, she served as nursing supervisor at St. Mary-Corwin Hospital in Pueblo, Colorado. She then ministered at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, first as head nurse from 1961 to 1964 and later in a supervisory role through 1967.

While working in obstetrics at Good Samaritan, Sister Martha felt called to deepen her knowledge in the field. She became the first Sister of Charity of Cincinnati to study nurse-midwifery, enrolling at the University of Utah.

Following her internship at Booth Maternity Center in Philadelphia, Sister Martha remained there for a year as a nurse, where she learned a great deal from the young women she served. She then practiced as a nurse-midwife at Simpson Midwifery Center in Springfield, Ohio, from 1975 to 1977 before joining the faculty at the College of Mount St. Joseph as an assistant professor of nursing from 1977 to 1980, teaching obstetrics.

These experiences prepared Sister Martha for a six-year ministry in Malawi, East Africa, where she taught nursing and midwifery at Trinity Hospital, a mission hospital operated by German and Dutch Sisters. From 1980 to 1986, she embraced what would become one of the most meaningful periods of her life. Living and ministering alongside Sisters from Europe and Malawi, she treasured the rich cross-cultural community they shared. Years later, she often reflected on that experience, saying, “I cannot see anything without the African experience being in my memory!”

After returning to the United States, Sister Martha continued her ministry as a nurse-midwife at Holy Family Services in Weslaco, Texas; Frontier Nursing University in Hyden, Kentucky; and St. Claire Medical Center in Morehead, Kentucky. Between these ministries, she returned to Malawi from 1990 to 1993 to serve as a senior lecturer at the University of Malawi.

From 1995 to 2003, Sister Martha served as an elected councilor on the Sisters of Charity Leadership Team. Reflecting on those years, she said, “I was privileged to serve, finding it challenging, satisfying, and sometimes difficult.”

Sister Martha also served for several years on the Stewardship Board of Trustees for Catholic Health Initiatives. In 2005, she became administrator of the Seton Enablement Fund, established by the Sisters of Charity to provide loans to nonprofit organizations whose missions improve the quality of life for people who are poor and marginalized. She also served on the Board of Bayley Senior Care Corporation, where she chaired the Community Relations Committee.

As health challenges, particularly declining vision, led Sister Martha to move to Mother Margaret Hall, she continued to enjoy playing bridge, listening to classical music, and engaging in thoughtful conversation. She remained deeply committed to social justice, faithfully followed global prayer intentions, and frequently expressed her convictions through letters to the editor.

Sister Martha is survived by her sister, Jane Oberschmidt, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sisters, Sister Mary Paul Walsh, OSU, and Mary Stenger, and by her brothers, Robert, John, and Jim Walsh.

Sisters, family, and friends will greet visitors in the back of the Motherhouse Chapel from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2026, followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow in the Sisters of Charity cemetery.

Memorial gifts may be made in Sister Martha Walsh’s memory to the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Retirement Fund, 5900 Delhi Rd., Mount St. Joseph, OH 45051.