Dorothea Regina Walsh

Dorothea Regina Baeumker Walsh

Beloved mother, sibling and friend, Dorothea Regina Baeumker Walsh, passed away on Sunday, July 7, 2019. Dottie is survived by her daughter Kathy Matay (Matt) of Great Falls, VA; daughter Christy Shannon (Mark) of Rockville, MD; sister, Angela Cummings (Waldo Perkins) of Salt Lake City, UT and beloved, life-long friends, Gail Hnat and Gretchen Jacobs. A great joy in her life were her grandchildren: Mason, Michael and Hayden Matay and Sam Shannon. They called her “Omi.”

The oldest daughter of the late Erika Behrend Baeumker and Adolf George Clemens Baeumker. Dottie was born on January 28, 1939 in Berlin, Germany. When World War II ended, she moved with her family to the US. The family first lived at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and then moved to Baltimore a few years later where Dottie attended 7th grade at Mount St. Agnes. When Erika was diagnosed with cancer, the family moved to Annapolis, MD, where Dottie graduated from St. Mary’s High School. She attended Mrs. Fleet’s Business Academy and then University of Maryland’s Munich Branch in Germany. She graduated from UMD College Park where she met and soon married Ed Walsh.

Dottie was a creative spirit and a talented artist. She held great appreciation for the beauty of nature, in particular items of impermanence and imperfection. As inspiration for her painting, she was always collecting or taking pictures of feathers, pinecones, autumn leaves, bird nests and the like. Her car —often redolent of woodsy and resinous scents — was a natural history museum on wheels and she always had a canvas tote bag and a trowel in her trunk in case she came across some ferns or flowers that needed transplanting. (What “No Trespassing” sign?!)

Everyone knew of Dottie’s abounding love for animals and her particular devotion to dogs. She had many beloved pets over the years and took exceptional care of them, preparing special homemade food, and lavishing them with care and attention. This led to her running a dog boarding business in her home on Addison Street, fondly known by friends and customers as “Camp Dottie.”

Dottie brought joy and laughter to the lives of those around her. She was known for her quick turn of phrase, her witty way with words, and her love of painful puns (the bigger the groan the better). She often sent hand-written cards and letters in her uniquely beautiful cursive, sometimes with illustrations in the margins or on the envelope. If you have ever received one, chances are you have it still.

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