Chris Walsh dies after a long battle with cancer.

State Representative Chris Walsh who represented Framingham in the 6th Middlesex District passed away on May 2nd after a battle with cancer for several years.

Framingham DTC Chair Beverly Hugo issued this statement:

“To my fellow Framingham Democrats,

I have often said that no matter how prepared you think you are for the loss of a dear friend or family member, you really aren’t.  That is the way that I am sure we are all feeling right now.  We have lost a great fighter, advocate and incredibly warm and loving friend.

None of us can feel the sense of loss that Cindy, Jamie and Kate are feeling today, but we can all share in the love and respect that we had for him as he fought the most valiant fight any of us have ever seen from the moment he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma nearly two years ago.  After traditional treatments failed to control his particularly virulent disease, Chris entered an experimental protocol which, unfortunately, only could contain about 90% of the runaway cancer.  Typical of Chris, that would not deter him from taking on challenges with his insurance carrier and forcing them to allow him to enroll in a second experimental protocol which failed to yield satisfactory results.  Being the dogged fighter that typified his reputation on Beacon Hill, Chris still refused to take “no” for an answer and he entered a third protocol, which was so new that he joked with me when I asked him what this one was called, and shot back the answer, “Chris.”  He was the sole enrollee ever in that last-ditch effort to save him.

When Chris entered the state legislature, he had no real legislative experience aside from being a Town Meeting Member.  After his first year in the House, he quipped, “After a year, I think I can sort of understand how to file a bill, but getting one passed seems a lot tougher than I ever imagined.”  Since that time, Chris has sponsored and introduced 169 bills and co-sponsored thousands of bills, over 800 alone, this year, as he fought his illness! 

Above all, however, was Chris’s incredible faith in the democratic process.  While he often lamented the current political climate, he was always optimistic that normalcy would regain the political forefront.  He was certainly one of the most progressive legislators, and I had the honor of presenting him with the “Legislator of the Year,” for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, for his solid advocacy for students as the Vice-Chair of the House Committee on Education.

I am sure that you all join me in our grief and incredibly empty feeling as we lose one of our greatest friends.  The Democratic Town Committee will be taking appropriate steps to honor Chris for his devotion to our party and our community.

In Democratic Solidarity,
Beverly Hugo”