Obituary of Janet B. Welch

Janet Eleanor Benedict Welch lived a long and wonderful life and passed away on January 13, 2016. Janet was born on September 10, 1916 in Ransomville, NY to Roy and Dorris (Hopkins) Benedict and raised on a dairy/apple orchard farm in Niagara County, NY before attending Buffalo State University. She earned a degree in education, joined the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, then returned home to teach in the one-room school that she had attended. She later went to NYC to attend Columbia University, earning a Masters in early childhood education. While working at the University of Pittsburgh, she met the love of her life, William Welch. They were wed in Pittsburgh, PA on June 20, 1948 and had two daughters, Elaine and Dorris. Bill's work took them to Media, PA, and Sunnyvale, CA. They retired to Santa Cruz, CA. Janet had many interests. She was a devout Christian and very active in church work her entire life, serving in the Sunday school, women's ministries, circle groups, American Baptist Women of the West, Church Women United, and Habitat for Humanity. She supported Bill in the American Society of Marine Engineers (ASME) Auxiliary. She believed in community service so was active in the League of Women Voters for over 50 years. Art was another activity she loved resulting in many paintings. She enjoyed gardening growing award winning flowers--iris in PA and orchids in CA (Santa Cruz Orchid Society). Another avid interest was birding (Santa Cruz Bird Club). Sailing was one of her favorite family activities; she was active in the Day Sailors fleet and became the longest living member of Santa Cruz Yacht Club. Mom loved to travel. She and Bill traveled all over the US, Canada, and Mexico in their little Chinook camper. They also visited three continents--Europe, Australia, and Asia (China, Japan, Middle East). Her favorite trip was a solo trip to Africa where she saw the wildlife from a balloon. Mostly, Janet treasured her family and cherished her grandchildren. She loved to cook for us and was in her element when hosting the holidays and other family gatherings. She is lovingly remembered by her daughters, Elaine (Hollis) Ferguson (Dallas, OR), Dorris Welch (Santa Cruz), and grandchildren, Madeline, Natalie, Melissa, Will, Lena, and great grandson, Wilder. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins and countless friends. The family would like to thank the staff of Sunshine Villa who cared for her with such kindness and devotion in her last years. Please send cards or condolences to 261 12th Avenue Santa Cruz CA 95062 or call Dorris at 320-6789. Memorial services will be held at the Santa Cruz Yacht Club on Saturday January 30, 2016 from 1 - 4 pm 244 4th Avenue Santa Cruz CA 95062.