Bruce Thomas Welch

Bruce Thomas Welch was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Bruce was born June 6, 1947 in Glencoe, Minnesota. His parents were Thomas and Dorothy Welch. Bruce was raised in Minnesota. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Welch household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Bruce was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Bruce was raised with four siblings. He had two older brothers, Jerry and Steve and two younger sisters, Linda and Mary. Bruce was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Bruce and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Bruce was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Bruce was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Bruce developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. However, what Bruce enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Bruce as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Yelm High School in 1965. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His was a Thespian in high schoolas well as a member of the Future Farmers of America. Bruce was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Bruce always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

Bruce married Dorothy Patricia Moss on February 14, 1985 and was compassionate and devoted to Dorothy, Bruce held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Dorothy and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

Bruce brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Bruce was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Bruce was blessed with 4 children, three daughters; Tina, Tara, and Renee and one son, Sean. They were also blessed with 7 grandchildren; Jacob, Kyarsten, Hanna, Taren, Gabby, Tyler, and Erik.

Bruce greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Bruce enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Bruce was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was Building Engineering. Bruce worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Bruce was an Army veteran. He was in the U S Army 1st Infantry. Bruce saw action for Vietnam. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of E-4. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Bruce seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

Bruce liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Bruce always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were fishing and camping. Bruce was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Bruce found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list football. He liked watching the Seahawks and Steelers. He took two trips to the Superbowl.

Bruce enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Bruce appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Bruce always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included trips to Ireland, Minnesota, and the Super Bowl.

Bruce was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. His family was rounded out by his cats, Panda and Fritz.

Bruce Thomas Welch passed away on December 7, 2010 at his residence in Burien, Washington. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, his children, Tina, Tara, Sean, and Renee, and his grandchildren, Jacob, Kyarsten, Hanna, Taren, Gabby, Tyler, and Erik. Services were held at Yarington's Funeral Home in Seattle on Saturday, December 18, 2010 at 1:00pm.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Bruce Thomas Welch. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.