Mark Welch

Ocean Springs, Mississippi-Funeral service for Mark will be Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Helena. Burial will follow at Good Hope Cemetery south of Helena. Viewing will be Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. until service time at the church.

Mark Welch passed away surrounded by family at his home in Ocean Springs, Mississippi on May 21, 2017. Mark was born August 10, 1930 in Elk City, Oklahoma. He was the eldest of two children born to Melvin and Velma Welch. Growing up, he attended twelve schools across Texas and Oklahoma as his father traveled frequently working for the CCC during the Great Depression. He graduated from Helena High School in 1948 and then attended Oklahoma A & M for two years. In 1950 he enlisted in the Coast Guard and served for three years during the Korean War. Mark graduated from Wichita State with a BS in Industrial Engineering and a Master in Business Administration. Upon graduation, he worked for Boeing in Wichita, Kansas and Ingalls Shipbuilding in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Mark Welch is preceded in death by his father, Melvin Welch, and mother, Velma Welch.

Mark is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Carolyn Welch; his sister, Melva Joy; his children, Rex Welch, Sherri Lenz, Scot Welch and Tara Okullo; twelve grandchildren, Rachael Helmke, Jamie Bothello, Sophie Roberts, Shelby Welch, Tucker Welch, Riley Welch, Cooper Welch, Cort Welch and Cody Welch, Salem Okullo, Alana Okullo, and Keon Okullo and four great grandchildren, Jackson Helmke, Reese Helmke, Avelin Bothello and Annelise Bothello.

Mark was a wonderful, caring Dad who loved God and his family foremost. He loved his wife of 60 years and affectionately called her his “angel”. He enjoyed working on the family wheat farm in central Oklahoma with his father. Mark was a veteran of the Korean War and served in the Coast Guard. Mark often entertained his family and friends playing his piano and ukulele. He was a great singer. He would wake up during the night and sing. He had a wonderful sense of humor and lived a full life. Mark received certificates of bravery for rattlesnake hunting and rescued stranded boaters as a member of the Coast Guard auxiliary. He will be dearly missed. He loved Jesus and there were many signs of Jesus’s love the day Mark entered Heaven.