Joan "Joanie" Ann Welch

Joan Ann “Joanie” Welch, of Groesbeck, passed away unexpectedly, after a very brief illness, on Tuesday, December 30, 2014, at age 67. Visitation will be held at Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel on Friday, January 2, 2015, from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M., with a Rosary at 7:00 P.M. Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, January 3, 2015, in the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel, with Deacon Dwight Mahoney officiating. She will be buried in Fort Parker Memorial Park Cemetery. Pallbearers will be James Edward Freeman, Richard Welch, Kenneth Williamson, John Evers, Dusty Benge, Devon Chapman and Justin Welch. Honorary Pallbearers will be Lonnie Parr, Frankie San Marco, Sherry Wharton, and Wanda Fewell. Joanie was born July 17, 1947 in San Antonio, to John San Marco and Louise Cannatta San Marco, the youngest of their four children. She went to St. Ann’s High School in San Antonio. Joanie met Arthur Welch when she was twelve at a canteen dance in San Antonio. Five years later at age 17, they met again, and were united in marriage on June 19, 1964 at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in San Antonio. Joanie was a Mom at home with their son until the family moved to Houston, where she worked for Traveler’s Insurance. They lived in Houston for thirty-five years, although they had property in Limestone County, where Arthur’s grandparents Bob and Clara Welch made their home. Joanie moved to their home at Lake Limestone seventeen years ago, and worked various jobs, including Purina Feed Store for Stuart and Sherry Wharton, an insurance company and Coleman Ford. She then became employed at First National Bank, the job she loved the most of all her working career. Arthur retired and joined her at the lake nine years ago. She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mexia, where she taught some classes at night, and was a Eucharistic minister. Joanie had just celebrated her upcoming retirement from the bank with a party on December 18th, and had many plans for travel with Arthur. She loved visiting her son and family in Iowa, with some Christmas visits but summers being her favorite. Bandit was her “other son” who didn’t move away to Iowa and a dear companion. She enjoyed quiet times of crocheting, but her interests had expanded to panning for gold and rock hounding. She and Arthur traveled to Colorado and other states while prospecting, sometime in a travel trailer and other times motel hopping. Their last trip was in August, but they had many more happy plans for the future, which sadly she will not get to make. Joan was preceded in death by her parents and her husband’s parents, and a sister-in-law, Marty Welch. She is survived by her husband, Arthur Ray Welch of Lake Limestone/Groesbeck; son and daughter-in-law, Robert J. and Barb Welch of Winterset, Iowa; four granddaughters, Lori Welch of Scottsdale, AZ, Emma Welch of Ames, IA, Jasmine Blaylock and husband Dusty Benge of Winterset, IA, and Dallas and husband Devon Chapman of Winterset, IA; and five great grandchildren: Jaden Blaylock, Lexy Benge, Carter Benge, Gavin Chapman and Elizabeth Chapman all of Winterset, IA. She also has a brother, Frank San Marco and his wife Penny of Seguin, sister, Margaret Evers of Groesbeck, sister, Aggie Parr and husband Lonnie of Mountain Home, brother-in-laws and sisters-in-law: Ricky and Deretha Welch, James Freeman, and Debbie Vincent (of Seguin), and nieces and nephews.