Lee Estus Welch

Lee Estus Welch of Fairview, Texas, passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's, with his wife and daughter, Wendy, by his side. He was born on March 20, 1934, in Mendenhall, Mississippi, and died on March 18, 2024, two days before his 90th birthday. He grew up as a farm boy in Mississippi and Louisiana.

He enlisted in the Air Force and during his twenty years in the service, he was one of few military personnel to be part of the Gemini II Manned Space Project. Other assignments took him to Japan and Thailand. He spent his final years at Beale Air Force Base working with the SR-71.

After his retirement from the Air Force, he began a career in real estate. He worked for Van Guilder and Red Carpet Real Estate before affiliating with Real Estate Network. Bob Stevens, Kim Lineker and Lee then formed their own company, Showcase Real Estate, which later became Better Homes and Gardens, Showcase Real Estate. He was a realtor for Coy Vaughan and Tom Pfeffer when they were in construction. He was a notorious storyteller, and even after the office did a skit about that, it never deterred him from telling, retelling, and embellishing his many stories.

Lee was appointed to the Yuba City Planning Commission and served twelve years before being elected to the City Council. He served two of his eight years as Yuba City's Mayor. It was a true joy to serve the city and he reveled in the various accomplishments that he helped facilitate during that time. He loved being with people and being mayor was a dream come true. The city fountain, the revitalization of Plumas Street, the expansion of highway 99, and all of the work that went into passing the school bond for a second high school, were his passions. He loved representing the city during the Japanese Sister City visitations.

Lee was an avid golfer. He joined Plumas Lake Golf and Country Club and later joined Peach Tree Golf and Country Club. He enjoyed many years of Saturday golf with Tom Pfeffer and Remo Scocci. He often golfed with his wife, Juley, and sometimes with his daughter, Wendy, who was later a member of the Yuba City High School golf team. Lee and Juley loved golfing during trips. They played Pebble Beach twice as well as courses throughout California and several other states and countries.

Once he fully retired, Lee and Juley traveled the world which included cruises in the Caribbean, Alaska, the Baltic, around South America and through the Panama Canal, and a transatlantic cruise. They also traveled to New Zealand, China, and Europe as well as through most of the 50 states. They RVed to Palm Springs and through most of the western and midwest states. They enjoyed the beach and sunsets in Mazatlan, Mexico.

In 2008, he and Juley moved to the Dallas, Texas area. RVing, golf and travel were their main activities. Once grandchildren came along, they were on the sidelines cheering them on during their soccer, baseball and softball games.

Lee is survived by his wife of 48 years, Juley Welch; daughters, Wendy Platukas (McKinney, TX), Sue Bancroft (Marysville), Dicey Sechler (Chico), and Sherry Welch (Oroville); nine grandchilden; five great-grandchilden; two great-great-grandchilren; several nieces and nephews; and his dogs, Bo and Ziva.

For those who wish to honor Lee, donations to Alzheimer's Disease Research or to an animal rescue of your choice would be appreciated.

A Celebration of Life will be held in the Yuba City area at a later date.