COLONEL NORMAN A. "BUTCH" WELCH

1945 - 2019

WELCH, Colonel Norman A. "Butch" Of Plymouth, formerly of Sagamore Beach, died peacefully on April 14th at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Plymouth after a courageous 15 year battle with Parkinson's disease. He was the beloved husband of Linda L. (Mallers) Welch and loving father of Meridith M. Welch and her husband, Mark Fine of Newton; Heather M. Welch and her husband, Jason Murphy of Southborough; Brandon C. "Boomer" Welch of Plymouth; and Sarah K. Welch of Plymouth. Butch loved sharing life's joys and adventures with his cherished grandchildren: Nora, Rowan, Colin, Elisabeth, Neve, and Aiden. Butch was born May 1, 1945 to Dr. Norman A. and Katherine (Hayes) Welch. He is survived by his four sisters: Katherine O'Halloran of Falmouth, Jane Cronin of Osterville, Mary Eaton and her husband, Rev. William of Bennington, VT. and Sara Haynes and her husband, Frederick of Natick. He also leaves behind many loving nieces, nephews and extended family. Butch grew up in West Roxbury, graduated from Roxbury Latin, and then earned his BA in Political Science from Boston College (Class of 1967). Butch enlisted in the U.S. Army 1967, proudly serving in Vietnam. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Ribbon with 6 devices, Legion of Merit, and Order of St. Martin award. Butch received a Master of Business Administration from Babson College, while he continued working for the Massachusetts U.S. Army National Guard. Butch spent over 33 years serving his country, earning the rank of Colonel and becoming Chief of Staff. During that time he was a member of the Military Officer Association of America, 26th Yankee Infantry Division, 25th Division Tropic Lightning, and 29th Infantry Division Association and graduated from the U.S. Army War College. Over the years, he taught business courses at Anna Maria College and Western New England College. After retiring from the Army in 2000, he worked at StorageNetworks in Waltham as Director of Procurement. Butch's many interests included genealogy, traveling in his R.V., history, gardening, and coaching Plymouth Youth Baseball and Softball, where he was the Director and Coach of the Senior Girls Softball League of Plymouth. Butch tracked his genealogy through Prince Edward Island back to Ireland and Scotland. His dogged research helped him to connect with distant cousins in PEI where he spent many wonderful family trips. Butch was a die-hard New England and Boston College sports fan. As a BC "Superfan," he was a long-time football and hockey season ticket holder who rarely missed a home game and traveled all over supporting BC including at Bowl games and Frozen Four tournaments. Visiting Hours will be held at Davis Life Celebration Funeral Home, 373 Court St., NORTH PLYMOUTH on Monday, April 22 from 5-8 pm. A Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, April 23, at 11 a.m. at Christ Church, 149 Court Street, Plymouth. Burial will follow in the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to "Butch's Brigade" care of the American Parkinson Disease Association MA Chapter (APDA MA), 72 East Concord St. C3 Boston, MA 02118 or at www.apdama.org walk site. Online condolences may be made at www.cartmelldavis.com

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