Julia Fowler Welsh

Julia Fowler (Judy) Welsh, born the 2nd of November 1929 in Port Arthur, Texas, died Sunday evening, the 12th of April 2015. She graduated high school in 1948 from the Louse S. McGehee School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Judy attended The H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College for Women at Tulane University in New Orleans, was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, and graduated in 1952. While at Newcomb, Judy met John H. (Jack) Welsh, Jr., a Law student at Tulane. On the 21st of March 1953, Judy and Jack married in Port Arthur and began a nearly sixty year partnership filled with love, children, grand children and great grand children, business and personal travel, and much adventure. They first lived in Beaumont, Texas where sons, Daniel and Douglas, were born. In 1957, they followed Jack’s work to Houston, Texas where daughter Linda Lou was born in 1960. Subsequent moves back and forth to Owensboro, Kentucky for Jack’s work followed. Throughout all the moves with new houses, cities, schools and friends, Judy was the consummate “housewife” of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. She managed the home and finances with perfection and maintained the peaceful, nurturing and fun home in which Jack and the kids flourished.

Judy was a servant volunteer to her community as a room mother and PTA member, Altar Guild member in the Episcopal churches, Houston Arboretum docent and an active member of The Blue Bird Circle in Houston. As a Blue Bird, she headed the medical transcription service they provided for Texas Children’s Hospital. Judy orchestrated the daunting transition from transcription using typewriters to personal computers. She learned, developed protocols and trained dozens of fellow volunteers to provide this essential service for hospital doctors.

After Jack’s retirement, Judy and Jack moved to San Antonio, Texas in 1999 to be closer to family and their Hill Country retirement home in Kerrville, Texas. With Jack’s passing in 2013, Judy is survived by two sons, Daniel Holcroft Welsh and wife Deborah of Katy, Texas, and Douglas Fowler Welsh and wife Laura of College Station, Texas; daughter, Linda Lou Welsh Jordan of Kerrville; eight beloved grandchildren, Timothy Welsh and wife Jennifer, Stephen Welsh and fiancé J'ai Watson, Katherine Welsh Scarmardo and husband Chris, John Welsh, Tyler Edwards, Elena Edwards, Brady Jordan and Amy Lou Jordan; and three amazing great-grandchildren, John Welsh, Michael Welsh and Olivia Scarmardo. The family wants to extend their heartfelt thanks to physicians, Drs. Bridget Robledo, Seijo Oi, Ernesto Hernandez, Rebecca Barrington, Peterson Hospice, especially Dawn Pardue, RN and home health care professionals, Paula Buxton and Pat Bailey, for their gracious care and support provided to both Judy and the family.

Friends are cordially invited to a Memorial Service at one o’clock in the afternoon on Thursday, the 16th of April at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church of Kerrville, officiated by The Rev. Stockton Williams, Rector and The Rev. Thomas Murray, Associate Rector; a reception will follow in St. Peter’s Tucker Hall. A visitation with the family in Houston will be held from two until four o’clock in the afternoon on Sunday, the 19th of April, in the drawing room of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive. Private services are to be conducted graveside at Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston, where the Rev. Stockton Williams, Rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, is to officiate. For those who wish, memorials may be made to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 320 St. Peter Street, Kerrville, Texas 78208, The Blue Bird Circle, 615 W. Alabama, Houston, Texas 77006 or The Brookwood Community, 1752 FM 1489, Brookshire, Texas 77423.