George W. Welch Jr.

Our favorite jokester, George Walter Welch Jr., passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 8, 2019 surrounded by his family. Born March 30, 1935 in Salt Lake City, to George Walter Welch Sr. and Theda Knight Welch. A rambunctious boy, spending too much time in the corner, decided to end his formal education with high school diploma in hand and join the working class. A master of sales, sprinkled with determination and the gift of gab, he worked several places including General Electric and Bernco Distributing. Married Marilyn Carpenter in 1953 and later divorced. They had 2 children, Buzz and Patricia. Although he was positive he would remain a bachelor forever, he met the love of his life, Linda Shurtleff Morley on the dance floor at the Sojourner. He married Linda, along with her 3 daughters on December 28, 1984. Georgie was the life of the party and was rarely still. He loved to ski and was part of Park City Ski Patrol for many years. He was an avid golfer and proudly worked on committees for The Senior PGA golf tournaments. A true extrovert, he met many celebrities during the course of his life and took every opportunity to make friends on a daily basis.

He is preceded in death by his parents, sister Bonnie Rigsby, and grandson Nathan George Welch. He is survived by his wife, Linda. His children; Buzz (Kelly) Welch, Patricia (Scott) Olsen, Monica (Steve) Varanakis, Lisa Morley, and Mindy Clark, 13 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and countless friends. He did it all and had a story to go with it. George, you touched many lives and will be deeply missed. Cheers to you!

A celebration of his life will be held Tuesday, December 17, 2019 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City. Guests are encouraged to use the complimentary valet parking on the north side of the building. Please share your photos and memories with the family at www.starksfuneral.com.