Damaris 'Demi' Wrenn (Walsh) McGuire

Clifton Park - Damaris (Demi) Wrenn Walsh McGuire left this world as she wished, in her sleep, on April 10, 2022 shortly before her 83rd birthday.

Demi was born May 14, 1939, in Ann Arbor, MI to Chad and Eva Walsh and grew up in Beloit, WI. Demi attended Radcliffe College at the age of sixteen and soon after met her husband Don at a Harvard-Yale football game. They were married on August 31, 1958, and she moved to New York City where Don attended Columbia University. Three children were born to Demi and Don: Marcus Harrington McGuire, Megan Walsh McGuire, and Caitlin Alison McGuire Reid. Following the birth of her youngest, Demi returned to college and completed a BA in English Literature from Barnard College in 1970.

In 1971, Demi and Don purchased land in Sullivan County, where the family would spend weekends camping, away from the congestion of NYC. She loved playing the cello and was an avid reader.

Demi spent most of her professional career deeply involved in politics, starting with the Broadway Democrats in NYC, working in the NYS Assembly in the 1970s, and later as director of multiple advocacy organizations, including New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty and NYS Episcopal Public Policy Network. She lived and breathed politics, splitting her time between her home in NYC and an apartment in Albany, NY, before moving full-time to Albany in 1999 with Don.

Following the death of her husband in 2000, Demi moved to Center Square, Albany where she was active in the neighborhood association, political activities, and regular book groups. She lived there until 2019, when she suffered mobility issues and reluctantly moved to Atria in Delmar. She moved again in 2020 to Coburg Village in Rexford, which is where she passed in the place of her choosing.

Demi has joined her husband Don and daughter Megan. She is survived by her son Marcus (Shana) of New York City, NY; Caitlin (Martin) of West Sand Lake, NY; her two adored grandchildren Chad Hendry Reid and Grace Harrington Reid; her three sisters Madeline (Bill) Hamblin, Alison (Paul) Sackett, and Sarah Walsh; and five nieces and nephews and their children. She will be deeply missed by all.

A sister’s reunion had already been planned for Memorial Day weekend at Lake Iroquois in Vermont. Instead, the family will gather with friends to celebrate her life at 3pm on May 29, 2022, at the United Church of Hinesburg, VT. All are welcome. A private interment will take place at a later date at Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, NY.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Damaris 'Demi' Wrenn (Walsh) McGuire, please visit our floral store.