Lorraine Welch

Lorraine Welch, age 96, passed away on July 30, 2014, at her home in Friona. She was born April 19, 1918 in Killeen, Texas. Her family moved to Parmer County in 1924 locating on a farm southwest of Friona. She graduated Bovina High School and, later, Texas Tech. She attended Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico and West Texas State (West Texas A&M). Following college, she taught school at Pleasant Hill, Clovis and Friona. She taught elementary, junior high, high school, college and many Bible classes. Teaching was her passion.

Lorraine married John Bailey on Halloween Day, 1941. They had a son, Bob Watson. John Bailey died in November of 1947. In that same month, Nelson Welch, of Friona, lost his wife, Inez (Miller) and he was left with two daughters: an infant, Monte Sue, and a four-year old, Mikie. With the three children watching, Nelson Welch and Lorraine Bailey were married on May 24, 1949.

She enjoyed entertaining and, in particular, when she and Nelson would host family, friends, school groups, Bible classes and college seminars at Cresta del Monte, the Welch family retreat in the mountains of New Mexico.

She served on the loan committee for the Farmers Home Administration of Parmer County, the first woman to do so in the county and one of the first in the state. She had been a member of the Friona Woman's Club and the Modern Study Club.

Lorraine was preceded in death by her parents, J. M. and Lessie Watson, her husband of forty-seven years, Nelson Welch, her first husband,  John Bailey, three sisters: Martha Bates, Doris Boggess and Jamie Lu Lillard. She is survived by her children, Mikie Bishop and husband Dwayne of San Saba, Texas, their children, Michael and Andrea Bishop of Bartlett, TN, and Buddy and Jessica Bishop of Athens, GA; a son, Bob Welch of Richland Springs, TX and his children, Ben and Veronica Welch of Glen Rose, TX and Katy Welch of Midland, TX; her daughter and care giver, Monte Bailey of Friona and her children, Shawn and Caroline Bailey of San Diego, CA and Heather Bailey of Lampasas, TX. There are eight surviving great grandchildren. Two of her sisters survive, Helen Teague of Cheyenne Wells, CO and Macie Brock of Fort Worth. Murna Miller, her last surviving sister-in-law, lives in Austin. She is also survived by one very special friend, J. T. Hammonds, formerly of Bovina and now living in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Believing that flowers are for the living, the family requests that you gift someone you love, a favorite charity or someone in need. Per her request, there will be no funeral or memorial service. She provided funds for a family and friend get-together where stories can be told or retold, tears shed, laughs shared and remember how blessed we were by this marvelous woman. That gathering will be announced at a later date.

The family wishes to express our gratitude to the staff of Bluebonnet Hospice in Friona and to Minda Aguilar for her service and kind treatment of our mother.