Walsh is said to have been deeply devoted to Pearl S. Buck International in Hilltown, the organization her mother founded, and served as its president from 1985 to 1997. Born in Troy, New York, Walsh was adopted in 1925 by Pearl S. Buck and John Lossing Buck. Walsh spent her early years in China and Japan before she and her mother moved to Bucks County in 1934. Walsh earned her professional certification in occupational therapy at Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania, and also received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Gwynedd-Mercy College in 1997. An Associated Press report said her sister's mental illness was a driving force in Walsh's decision to train as an occupational therapist. She is survived by her siblings: Richard, Jean, Edgar and Henriette; her stepbrother Paul Buck; and their families.