Corwin Geoffrey Welch

Welch, Corwin Geoffrey
CHARLTON - Corwin Geoffrey Welch, "Geoffrey," 69, of Charlton, N.Y., died peacefully at home on December 22, 2024, of esophageal cancer. Born in Bermuda to Peter S. Welch and Jonelle Braswell Welch, he later moved with his family to Fla. Geoffrey attended Indian Mountain School in Conn., and Holderness School in N.H., and graduated from the University of Florida before earning his M.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He became a faculty member at SUNY Schenectady in 1992.
Geoffrey dedicated much of his life to teaching. His colleagues loved the sound of him: from the emphatic hunt and peck of his keyboard to those loud, long, wistful sighs emanating from deep; and the sight of him: returning each spring semester with his long, leonine mane shorn and usually a new pair of whimsical and sometimes downright naughty socks. He instilled in his students what he, himself, held good: a lifelong love of literature and song. Indeed, Geoffrey had a deep passion for music and volunteered annually with the Old Songs Festival; he took great pleasure in writing the program notes for the artists. He was an avid fan of Liverpool Football Club – "Go Lads!" and also enjoyed watching birds from his porch, with a coffee in the morning, or a single-malt scotch in the evening. He relished his mornings with Liza, completing the daily Wordle, Crossword, and Spelling Bee in the New York Times.
Geoffrey was deeply loved by his family, friends, colleagues and all who had the privilege of knowing him. His warmth, humor, and generosity touched the lives of many, and he will be profoundly missed.
Geoffrey is survived by his wife, Eliza Douglas McErlean; stepchildren, Douglas McErlean (Valerie Washburn) of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Sarah McErlean of Glenville, N.Y.; his brother, Peter Welch of Orlando, Fla.; his sister, Jonelle Welch of Austin, Texas; and his former wife, Barbara Danowski of Amsterdam, N.Y.; and, of course, his beloved cats, Gibbet, Ely, and Gracie.
Visiting hours will be held at Townley & Wheeler Funeral Home, 21 Midline Road, Ballston Lake, N.Y., on Friday, January 3, 2025, from 4:00-6:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU c/o the Gift Processing Department, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10004; Animal Protective Foundation of East Glenville, 53 Maple Ave., Glenville, N.Y. 12302; or WAMC, 318 Central Avenue, Albany, N.Y. 12206, in Geoffrey's honor.
The family expresses their heartfelt thanks for the love, support, and kindness shown during Geoffrey's illness and beyond.