Obituaries

Fr Edmund Lanning SDS Fr Thomas Walshe THREE WEEKS AFTER suffering a massive heart attack, Fr Edmund Lanning died on 9 October, aged 62.
Fr Edmund's first contact with the Salvatorians was the day after he was born, when he was baptised by Fr Osmund SDS in Wealdstone.
He was professed a SaIvatorran on 11 October, 1951, and was ordained after his studies in Christleton Hall Chester, on 29 June 1957.
His work included a variety of apostolates. He was parish priest of Christ the King Church in 'I'hornbury. He was Mission Secretary, which involved his going around the country most weekends preaching for the Tanzanian mission, and funding and hosting the missioners from other provinces who came to England each year to learn English. He was known internationally for his work on the International mission secrctariate of the Salvatorians, and nationally for his work with the National Association of Religious Bursars and the National Association of Archivists.
He was also secretary to the Provincial for many years, Archivist to the Province and Master of Candidates, and cared for disabled people on his many trips to Lourdes, and engaged in charity work for various convents.
FR THOMAS WALSHE died early in the morning of 26 October aged 81.
Ordained in May 1938, all Fr Walshe's appointments, apart from the short time in Bath, were to rural areas of the Clifton Diocese. He served in 14 parishes 'and chaplaincies within the Diocese and used to say that, because of the goodness of God and the kindness of people, you could be happy in any situation, At the Requiem Mass, Bishop Alexander said Fr Torn "had left the memory of a sincere, cheerful, friendly priest".
Fr Tom had a great love or the countryside and for animals of all kinds. His greatest love was in the canine field and though he never got to Crofts he always knew the results. He became an expert on some breeds and sometimes the parish income benefited from the sales of special breeds which he farmed.
Having spent so much of his time in country areas meant that many priests only came to know Fr Walshe after he went to St Angela's Convent in Bristol to retire. However, those who came to visit Fr Tom encountered good humour and true simplicity.
He died early in the morning following some months of illness which he had borne with great cheerfulness.