Curtis Welch

Jennings Funeral services for Mr. Curtis Talmadge Welch, 90 will be held on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at 10:00 AM in the Miguez Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Walter Parker officiating. Burial with full Military Honors will be in Lakeview Cemetery in Lake Arthur, LA under the direction of Miguez Funeral Home of Jennings. Visitation hours on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 will be from 3:30 PM to 8:00 PM. Wednesday visitation hours will be from 8:00 AM until the time of service. Mr. Welch died Sunday, May 17, 2015 at 1:30 AM at his residence surrounded by family and his loving dog Gunther having lived a long, full and joyous life of 90 years. He resided most of his life in Jennings and graduated from Jennings High School in 1941. He enlisted into the United States Army Air Force during World War II from July 1943 to April 1946. He was inducted in Lafayette, LA. Curtis was assigned to the 315th Bomb Wing, 346th Bomb Group, 462nd Squadron, Eight Air Force. He received military training at the Army Air Force Gunnery School, B-29 Computerized Gunnery System. He served in the Asiatic Pacific Campaign (Guam, Tinian and Okinawa). He was awarded the American Theater, Asiatic-Pacific Theater, Victory Ribbon and Aerial Gunner Wings. He was ranked Staff Sergeant at discharge. Curtis re-enlisted in April 1946 and served three years in the United States Army Air Force Reserves. He went to SLI (currently UL) and graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. He then went to work for Zigler Implement as an accountant. He met his wife to be – Gloria at Seagraves Drive-In and they married on September 1, 1949. Later he purchased the implement division of the Zigler Implement and opened Curtis T. Welch Tractor Company Inc. in Roanoke, LA with his wife, Gloria who was his bookkeeper. In 1981 he sold the business, retired and became a rice and soybean farmer. Mr. Welch helped to establish the Jennings American Legion Hospital. Many summers with family and friends were spent at their camp at Morgan Shores. Fun times such as skiing, running trout lines and fishing off the wharf were enjoyed by all. When granddaughters came along he spent his time taking them hunting, riding the combine, running the crawfish traps in the pond. He and their MawMaw were their biggest cheerleaders at their rodeos. Mr. Welch loved to take his children deer hunting in Comfort, TX and duck hunting in Gueydan and Cameron. When his granddaughters came he loved to take them hunting at the deer blinds even when it came to the point of them just watching. He loved watching and discussing LSU football with his daughter on the phone. Mr. Welch was a founding member of the Popeye’s 10 o’clock Coffee Club and served as their president for many years. He celebrated many birthday cakes with them. On September 22, 2007 Mr. Welch was elated to be chosen for the Louisiana Honor Air Flight to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. along with other area veterans. In 2008 he chaperoned his granddaughter Ali’s class field trip to the World War II Museum in New Orleans, LA. He served on the Board of Jeff Davis Water District 4 for twenty-eight years serving up to the time of his death. Mr. Welch is survived by a daughter, Diana Welch Nelson and her husband David and a son, Douglas Welch and his wife Rose Mary Welch, five granddaughters, Caitlin Nelson Ardoin, Alexandra Welch. Abigail Welch and Madison Welch, Ashley Nocum and two great-grandchildren; Isabella Ardoin and Elliott Nocum, a nephew Harold Welch and two nieces, Karen Welch Perfumo and Maryanne Welch Orgeron. Mr. Welch was preceded in death by his parents, Harry Harold and Rosa Rutherford Welch, his wife of sixty-five years, Gloria Rae McClelland Welch, and his brother, Harold Wayland Welch. Pallbearers will be Ken Brown, Randy Davis, Tom Compton, William Ferguson, Samuel Lee and Robbie Sarver. Honorary pallbearers will be Charles Carter, Robert “Buddy Sarver and Randy Davis. Being the oldest baptized member of the Jennings United Methodist Church, the family requests in lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Jennings United Methodist Church or the Roanoke United Methodist Church.