Richard Welch
Born: March 15th, 1942
Died: July 19th, 2013
Obituary
Richard "Dick" Welch, 71, of Burlington, died at 8:33 AM Friday, July 19, 2013, at the Great River Hospice House in West Burlington. Born March 15, 1942, in Burlington, he was the son of Richard Michael and Mary Louise Weimer Welch. On April 15, 1972, he married Jacqueline "Jackie" Lee Higby in Oquawka. Dick had retired from American Ordinance in 2006, where he was a production supervisor. Prior to working at American Ordinance, he had worked at Wonder Bread and Sweetheart Bakeries. He was a 1960 graduate of Burlington High School. He graduated from Burlington Junior College in 1962. He was a member of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He was a passionate Chicago Bears fan and enjoyed spending time on the Mississippi River at his Otter Island cabin. He was an avid World War II historian and enjoyed watching NASCAR and Fox News. Survivors include his wife, Jackie; three daughters, Kelli Hill of Burlington, Brenna (Josh) Fallin of Winston Salem, NC, and Jill (Patrick) Nealey of Danville; three sons, Gary Welch of Burlington, William (Tricia) Welch of Phoenix, AZ, and Kris (Marcia) Hill of West Burlington; 16 grandchildren, Kristi (Nicholas) Albiar, Michael Miller, Dustin Helling, Kaylee Fallin, Anna Fallin, Caroline Nealey, Byers Nealey, Maria (Jeremy) Shafer, Ashley Welch, Jakob Welch, Madison Welch, Brady Welch, Kaden Welch, Mackenzie Hill, Joshua Hill, and Tyler Hill; two great-grandchildren, Karizma Miller and Kailyn Albiar; one brother, Ronald (Janet) Welch of Edinburg, TX; several nieces; one nephew and his two chocolate labs, Bailey Jo and Maggie. He is preceded in death by his parents. Visitation will be from 8:00 AM until 8:00 PM with the family to receive friends from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM Monday, July 22, 2013, at Thielen Funeral Home. The funeral service for Mr. Welch will be 10:30 AM Tuesday, July 23, 2013, at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with Reverend David J. Yonker and Pastor D. Dean Benton officiating. Burial will be in Aspen Grove Cemetery. A time of food and fellowship will be held at the church following the burial. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established for First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Great River Hospice House.