Carol Joy Welch

On June 6, 2024, Carol Joy Welch peacefully passed away with family close. She will be remembered fondly for so many things, including her beautiful smile, her joyous outlook, her witty humor, and her deep caring for others.

Carol and her sisters, Kathy (m. Grauerholz) and Karen Sue, had a happy childhood in Boulder, Colorado and the three girls were a source of delight to their parents, George Wilfred Kreller and Hazel Joy Lambeth Kreller. Many stories were recounted of this contented home, where hard work and community involvement intersected with a good helping of friendly mischief. An often told tale was the instance when sisters Kathy and Karen rigged the front porch swing with a mannequin to startle Carol's date, Johnnie, when he walked her to her front door.

Fortunately, these antics were not enough to scare away Johnnie, who became the love of her life, John Francis Welch. They met at an outdoor concert in City Park in Denver when Carol was studying at the University of Colorado Central Business College. For John, it was love at first sight. His affectionate nickname for Carol, "Smiley" became a perfect aptronym. John and Carol were married in 1962 at the First Methodist Church in Boulder.

Carol and John had a daughter, Rebecca, who died at birth, and two sons, Thomas William (married to Cara Woodson) and Daniel George (married to Cathy Mooney). Carol adored her boys and they adored her right back. She celebrated their successes, she was sympathetic when they failed, and she was strong willed enough to keep them in line. But being "Grammie Smiley" to her four grandchildren Zoe, Gunther, Kate and Ellie was perhaps the greatest joy of her very joyful life.

As her sons grew, Carol reentered the workforce finding a latent talent for sales because this was an opportunity to serve others and help solve problems. She worked for Ideal Cement, Majestic Roofing and Westile.

After Carol and John retired they enjoyed an active lifestyle. They played golf whenever there wasn't snow on the ground. They explored hundreds of miles of Denver's bike paths. And they ventured outside their native Colorado. When her boys were small, Carol and John would pack their kids into the Blue Impala station wagon for cross-country road trips. Later, she and John traveled extensively, sometimes with John's barbershop chorus and other times as a couple to Hawaii and Europe. In their 59 years together (through John's passing in 2020), they had so many experiences, so many great stories.

And oh, how Carol loved a good story. Sometimes the stories were from the books she read and the old movies she watched. Her favorite stories were of her family, cataloged through curated photo albums and through extensive genealogy research.

Carol was a creative soul. She enjoyed all types of arts and crafts and culinary endeavors. The clothes and costumes she made bring back happy memories and her Christmas ornaments have become family heirlooms. She was also known as an amazing cook. She always had a star dish for potlucks, a batch of cookies at the ready for visitors, and her oatmeal pancake recipe is still a weekend favorite of her sons and grandkids.

Carol enjoyed friendly competition. In addition to years in bowling and golf leagues, Carol seemed to love every kind of card and board game. Her love of board games that she shared with her kids, started a domino reaction that is reflected in her grandkids love of games (and yes, she loved playing dominoes too). Even in her last few weeks, playing cards with her "My House, My Rules" card group provided her a happy escape.

People were attracted to Carol's presence. If you sat with her for any length of time, her phone would ring with myriad friends checking in. She delighted in being with her friends and helping others. She was an active member of her service sorority (Beta Sigma Phi), and a women's social group (Red Hat Society). Each year she would look forward to their trip to Estes Park.

Her final years were spent in deep gratitude for a life well-lived at her home in Riverwalk, watching the geese land on the par 5 behind her house, or looking at the clouds roll across the Rocky Mountains. Most of all she enjoyed talking with the people she loved. She had a real talent to really "be" in a situation. When you talked with her, she made you feel like nothing else mattered except you. Towards the end of her life the conversations often were about her faith in God. Her spirituality was a constant source of inspiration and guidance for her throughout her life and particularly in her final years after John's death.

As Carol Joy's journey was coming to an end, she heard the words of Psalm 16 read quietly: "You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever."

A joint celebration of life for John and Carol will be held in the fall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests an act of kindness or charity for someone in need.