ORFORD, NH — Jack Peter Welch, 77, passed away peacefully at the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative and Hospice Care in Lebanon, N.H., on November 20, 2019.
Jack was born on December 6, 1941, the son of the late John P. and Rose (Beaupre) Welch. He was a 1959 graduate of Enfield High School and a Private First Class in the United States Army for four years following.
Jack married Mary L (Gallup) Welch on October 15, 1966. They enjoyed nearly 52 years of marriage before Mary’s passing in the Fall of 2018. They both loved to travel and enjoyed many great places together. Jack’s favorite were the Hawaiian Islands and the camp in Maine, where he, Mary and their family made many great summertime memories.
Jack was a hard worker; his family was always very proud of his work ethic. Jack worked for 26 years at Dartmouth Printing Company, and then for nearly another twenty years in the restaurant industry. He loved to cook, and most especially enjoyed cooking for the Mascoma Senior Center Meals on Wheels program. In his “retirement,” Jack worked part time for Bond Auto and O’Reilly Auto Parts as a courier. He loved visiting with the independent shops to whom he delivered and always talked about how wonderfully his boss and the shops he served treated him. They were an extended community of family.
Jack was an avid blacksmither and made creative and beautiful ironwork. He also loved following dirt track racing. He spent many years owning and working on racecars with his friends, as well as attending nearly every race his grandson, Tanner, drove in. Jack was very proud of Tanner’s racing achievements.
Jack is survived by his daughter Raquel (Kellie) Siemons (Welch), her husband, Gary, and their son, Tanner, of Orford; and daughter Terri Welch and her husband, Russ Wharton, of Franklin, TN.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to The American Heart Association.
Arrangements are under the direction of Ricker Funeral Home and Crematory, and an online guest book is available by visiting www.rickerfuneralhome.com. To honor Jack’s wishes, there will be no services at this time. A graveside memorial will be held for immediate family and close friends at Orford Cemetery in the Spring of 2020.