Richard Rumond Welch Sr.

What do you say about a man who has touched so many lives? I will start by saying his Mother and Father, Marie and General Welch, were great people and an apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Rick's mother described him as a happy child, always loving and caring. This beautiful trait carried over into adulthood.

As a brother, Rick embraced each one of his siblings with that giant heart. Ricky, the name his siblings -- Harold, Janice, Ronald, Gerald (Delita), Calvin (Carrie), Kathy, Kevin, and Anthony (Michelle) --affectionately called him, had no doubts that their brother loved them. As a husband, there are not enough words to describe our 45 years of a wonderful marriage and friendship. We spent every day together talking and laughing and fishing together every chance we could no matter the location. Rick did not hesitate to tell anyone how much he loved me and how much I loved him. Rick was my protector.

As a father, Rick was hands on. Richard Jr. (Monique) knew his father was always there for him and there was nothing that he would not do for him. Tiffany loved her second father. They had a strong bond. He knew that he could always count on her and she knew the same. Both born entrepreneurs, they shared long discussions regarding starting a business in this new environment. As a grandfather, Baby Rick was the test run. He showered so much love on Baby Rick. He took him to school, kept him whenever he could and shared his life stories with his first grandchild. His second grandchild, Laya, was always patient with her grandfather, loving and caring for him whenever she visited. His third grandchild, Lorenzo, was his boy.
Duder, as his grandfather called him, gave Rick a daily focus -- taking him to school, karate lessons and school field trips. They would playfully call each other silly names and laugh so hard with each other. Duder loved his Papa. Solomon and ZeZe were the last peas in the pod and Papa equally shared the love with his youngest grandchildren.

As an uncle, Rick, who was affectionately called Unc, generously shared his wisdom with his nieces and nephews. He took time to provide a listening ear and add his comforting advice. As a friend, Rick took his friendships seriously. If you were his friend, you were friend for life. Rick was a mentor and counselor, who provided sound advice. As a businessman, Eugene and Oscar were much more like family to Rick than business associates.

This Gentle Giant will live in our hearts forever.
Lovingly,
Lis