Dottie Welch

Dottie Welch, 86, of Marysville, KS, died Sunday, February 17, 2013 at Community Memorial Healthcare, Marysville. A rosary service was held at 7 p.m., Thursday, at St. Gregory's Catholic Church, Marysville. Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, February 22, at St. Gregory's Catholic Church. Father Jim Shaughnessy officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery. Dottie was born in Wallace, NE, on January 27, 1927, Dottie learned from her parents’ pursuits of homesteading land, of hard work, and of dedication to family. During a high school Latin class in Crete, NE, she met Bob and they were married July 20, 1949. As newlyweds they made their home in Omaha, NE. In the early 1950s they moved to Marysville and operated the Pacific Hotel Coffee Shop on Main Street. Dottie enjoyed a fifteen year teaching career at St. Gregory's Catholic School that included many hundreds of children, including her own children: Michael, Susan, and David. With a growing family, Dottie studied to complete the Board of Health Nursing Home Administration Program and earned licensure to serve as the Administrator of the Mary Marshall Manor. She retired after fifteen years of conscientious caring for many Marysville citizens and their loved ones. Through the 1980s and to the present, Dottie continued her involvement and leadership with Beta Sigma Phi, bridge clubs, and various civic organizations. She was a most active member of St. Gregory’s Catholic Church for all events—especially as a soprano in the choir. Both formally and informally, she helped new members of the church and community feel welcomed and valued, including many new priests and through many decades of change. Dottie was a friend, mentor, and gracious entertainer; her door was always open. An avid traveler, Dottie enjoyed a lifetime of adventures by ship, plane, and rail always bringing back new ideas and new experiences to share with others. While the visits to Rome, Canada, and beyond were choice, Dottie held special fondness for any location where family and friends would gather. Known by all to be cherished by her husband of sixty-three years, Dottie is survived by her husband Bob and their children Michael, Susan, and David; her children’s spouses Anita Welch and Kelly Welch; her grandchildren Katie, Keith, Eric, Shawn, Dan, Kyle; her grandchildren's spouses Gretchen Welch and Kateland Welch; and her great grandchild Neva Welch. Dottie will be remembered for her exceptional ability to recognize and bring out the potential in her students and in others. Memorial fund has been established in memory of St. Gregory's school. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Dottie Welch, please visit our flower store.