BARBARA MARY WELCH

(nee Mactavish, 1931 - 2025) Barbara was born in 1931 to Duncan and Eva Mactavish in Leeds, Yorkshire. The family soon relocated to British Columbia, and later settled in Toronto. Barbara graduated from Malvern Collegiate before studying science at the University of Toronto, where she met her husband, Harold Welch. After their marriage, they travelled to Harpenden in Herefordshire, England, where Harold completed his Ph.D research in Entomology at the Rothamsted Experimental Station and their first two daughters, Deborah and Katie, were born. On their return to Canada, they lived in Belleville, where Harold worked as a research scientist and two more daughters, Jill and Islay, were added to the family. The family then moved to Winnipeg, where Harold served as Head of the Zoology Department at the University of Manitoba. After Harold's death in 1990, Barbara remained in Winnipeg for several years, but moved to Guelph and then Ottawa to be closer to her daughters. Barbara was a devoted supporter of her family in their many academic and sporting endeavours and deftly managed a busy household. For many years, she was a successful breeder of Sealyham terriers under her Glenwell kennel name. She loved animals of all sorts, and the Welch household was home to an ever-changing menagerie of dogs, cats and other family pets, ranging from guinea pigs to Robby the robin. Barbara was a lifelong and gifted gardener, as well as an accomplished baker, a solver of cryptic crosswords, and a keen reader. In addition to her four daughters, she was a grandmother to Christopher Payne, Sydney Kruth, Perryn Kruth, Madeleine Kruth, Prentice Fraser, and Meredith Fraser; and a great-grandmother to five young boys. A woman of quiet determination, high energy, and remarkable strength, she died peacefully on December 17, 2025, at Ottawa. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her honour to your local food bank or public library. Online condolences available at www.kellyfh.ca.