Sandy Walter (1947-2011)

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Sandy enjoying Irish music at Seaport Hotel Boston, March 17, 2008

Chrysandra "Sandy" Walter passed away on Monday, March 21, 2011, after a lengthy and brave battle with cancer. She was 63.

Sandy is survived by her loving husband, fiddler Seamus Connolly, her mother and stepfather, Winnie and Larry Moore, sisters Diane Evers and Debbie Contro, and three stepchildren, Ronan, Darragh and Keelin Connolly.

Sandy was respected and admired as a caring, honest, dedicated leader in the National Park Service, where her 38 year career took her all over the country, including the nation's capitol, and ending in New England as deputy regional director for NPS's Northeast Region.  Sandy retired from the NPS in 2007 and moved to North Yarmouth, Maine with Seamus.

She was beloved in the Irish-American community, as a genuine enthusiast for Celtic music and for folk music generally.  She was instrumental, along with Joe Wilson, in hosting the National Folk Festival in Lowell Massachusetts (1987-89), which today continues as the Lowell Folk Festival.

Sandy was also the central organizer with her husband Seamus of the acclaimed Gaelic Roots Summer School and Festival held at Boston College each June between 1993 and 2003.

In recent years Sandy designed beautiful jewelry that was inspired by the various national parks throughout the country.

Sandy was a beautiful person and we are honored to have called her our dear friend.

- Michael & Colette Quinlin


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