Marilyn Ruth Welch

MARILYN RUTH WELCH Marilyn Ruth (Reimer) Welch passed away on October 19, 2025, at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, Kansas. She was born on December 5, 1952, the fourth daughter of John B. and Juanita G. Reimer of Satanta, Kansas. As a young girl, she grew up on the family farm, where she and her three sisters made mud pies in the irrigation ditch and learned to swim in a stock tank. Always a quiet and diligent student, she graduated Valedictorian of her Satanta High School class of 1970. Marilyn attended K-State University for one semester before returning to the family farm. She was honored to be a female tractor driver, an irrigation tube-slinging dandy, and the overall hay-baling queen of Haskell County. After some years of traveling the states, she met and married Larry Welch of Anthony, Kansas, in 1986. During this time, she began working for Walmart in Great Bend. A move to Manhattan and then to Wellington completed her over 33-year career with Walmart. Marilyn's love for animals was evident as she adopted many cats over the years. Her black Munchkin cat, "Boo," was her favorite, but she cherished many tabbies and oranges throughout her life. She was a wonderful seamstress and textile artist. Her handiwork included tatting, cross-stitch, and quilting. Many of these items were made for special people, and she was best known for her yearly tatted Christmas ornaments. She was preceded in death by her parents and one sister and brother-in-law, Betty and Thayne Wright, of Grand Junction, Colorado. Survivors include her husband, Larry Welch of Wellington, Kansas; sisters Mary (Carroll) Ledenham of Exeter, Missouri, and Crystal Coffman and partner Dale Ledenham of Washburn; brother-in-law, Robert Welch of Harper, Kansas; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. A Memorial Graveside Service will be held to celebrate Marilyn's life at 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at Forest Park Cemetery, S Santa Fe Rd, Anthony, Kansas 67003. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Wellington Humane Society, 203 N. Hillside Rd., Wellington, Kansas 67152.