ROBERT VIRGIL WALSH, 92, of Mount Vernon, Illinois, passed away at 11:50 A.M. on Saturday, March 19, 2011 at St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Robert was born April 9, 1918 in Grayville, Illinois, a son to the late Thomas Virgil & Daisy (Bisch) Walsh. He graduated college at the University of Illinois finished law school there in 1949. He settled in Mt. Vernon and chose an active career in the business of oil and gas leasing and production. Mr. Walsh was first elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1962 and served two terms. Due to his popularity, he won reelection in 1964 on the infamous statewide â?oorangeâ? ballot, also known as the â?obed sheetâ? ballot. He was a principal sponsor of legislation to establish a bi-state airport at Lawrenceville, Illinois. During the 1970â?Ts Robert was Chairman of the Jefferson County Democrat Party. Representative Walsh returned to the legislature in 1977 to fill the remainder of William Oâ?TDanielâ?Ts term when Oâ?TDaniel received a federal appointment. Mr. Walsh also served as an aide to Secretary of State Paul Powell and travelled throughout the country with Powell. Many believe Powell would have easily been elected Governor but for his untimely death. Robert had many interesting stories from that colorful period in Illinois politics. He later owned a race pony which, with whimsical irony, he named â?oShoebox Kidâ?. Mr. Walsh was a delegate to the 1976 Democrat Convention in New York City and participated in the nomination of President Jimmy Carter. At the age of 90 years, Mr. Walsh went to Denver for the 2008 Democrat Convention where he participated in the nomination of the President and was seated in a place of honor with the Illinois Delegation. Robert met and supported many candidates for public office. He remembered meeting President Harry Truman, Ambassador Averill Harriman, President Lyndon Johnson, Attorney-General Robert Kennedy, Vice-President Hubert Humphrey, Governor Otto Kerner, Governor James Thompson, President Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, President Bill and Hilary Clinton, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, Governor Patrick Quinn and others too numerous to mention. Mr. Walsh enjoyed a warm friendship with Senator Paul and Representative Jeanne Simon. Mr. Walsh was a World War II Veteran of the United States Army and was a member of numerous civic and fraternal organizations, including the Masonic Lodge, the American Legion, The AMVETS, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Moose Lodge and the Elks Lodge. He belonged and contributed to several organizations dedicated to the preservation of wildlife and the environment. VISITATION will be from 5 to 7:00 P.M. Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at Hughey Funeral Home in Mount Vernon, Illinois MEMORIAL GRAVESIDE SERVICE will be held at 1:30 P.M. Friday, March 25, 2011 at Oak Grove Cemetery in Grayville, Illinois INTERMENT WITH FULL MILITARY HONORS will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery in Grayville, Illinois MEMORIALS may be given to the Jefferson County Historical Society or to Grayville Historical Society and will be accepted at the funeral home or mailed to Hughey Funeral Home, P.O. Box 721, Mount Vernon, Illinois 62864.