Life History

Other facts

Notes

• In 1963, Berl and Jerl Welch were listed as members of the Sophomore Class of Wichita Falls High School.
  
  U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1990
  Berl Welch
  Jerl Welch
  Sophomore Class, p 233
  Coyote 1963 Yearbook
  Wichita Falls High School, Wichita Falls, Texas, USA
  
  Oddly the next year, they were listed with the Freshman Class, rather than the Junior Class.
  
  U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1990
  Berl Welch
  Jerl Welch
  Freshmen, p 190
  (They are listed with the Freshman Class, but being born in 1947, in 1964, they would have their 17th birthday in July after that school year, normally the age of the Juniors.  For their age, they should have entered the Freshman class in 1960 and finished 9th grade in 1962.)
  Estimated Age 18 (Known Birth Date 23 July 1974)
  Coyote 1964 Yearbook
  Wichita Falls High School, Wichita Falls, Texas, USA
  
  The following wedding announcement is from the bulletin of First Primitive Baptist Church, Wichita Falls, Texas, January, year unknown.
  
  "You are invited to the wedding of Sherri Marchbank and Berl Welch.  The wedding will be held at the church Saturday night, January 26 [no year stated].  A reception will be held in the fellowship hall.
  "Elder and Mrs B J Welch."
  Berl Welch is the son of Berley Jackson Welch and Treasure McElhannon Welch.  The format and fragments on the reverse seemed to indicate this announcement was cut out of the bulletin of Elder B J (Berley) Welch's church, first thought to be his known pastorate at First Primitive Baptist Church, Wichita Falls, Texas.  The date would have been on the header of this issue, but is not in the cutout segment.  But the location is reported in Texas marriage records as Dallas.
  --  Cutout was found among other similar papers and articles in the home of Lou Ila Jenkins, cousin of Berley Welch, in Lindsay, Oklahoma, after she had moved to Arlington, Texas in May 2019.
  
  However, the Texas marriage Index reports that Berl and Shari were married in Dallas, Texas, not Wichita Falls.  Perhaps Berley had moved to a church in the Dallas area by that time.  Note also that Shari's name is spelled differently in the church bulletin announcement.  The date matches the day's date announced in the church bulletin.
  
  Texas, Marriage Index, 1824-2014
  Berl R Welch, Age 26 (born abt 1948)
  Shari A Marchbanks, Age 19 (born abt 1955)
  Marriage 26 Jan 1974 Dallas, Texas
  
  U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1
  Berl R Welch
  Birth Date 23 Jul 1947
  Phone Number 550-4905
  422 Lorine St, Keller, TX, 76248-3440 (1986)
  15602 Laurel Heights Dr, Houston, TX, 77084-3617 (1993)
  
  Texas, Divorce Index, 1968-2014
  Berl R Welch, Age 53 (b abt 1947)
  Shari A Welch, Age 46 (b abt 1954)
  Marriage 29 Jan 1974
  Divorce 18 Aug 2000 Tarrant County, Texas, USA
  
  Berl died in Granbury, Texas, in 2018.  there are two slightly different versions of his obituary online at Legacy.com and Funeral.com.
  
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  Berl Welch
  October 9, 2018 Granbury (Texas)
  
  Berl Welch, of Fort Worth Eagle Mountain Lake, passed on Friday, September 28, 2018 at the age of 71.  He was preceded in death by his parents Berley Welch and Treasure McElhannon.  Berl was born on July 23, 1947 in Duncan, Oklahoma.  He was a Christian man who was raised in a Baptist home and community.
  
  Berl proudly served in The United States Navy and while serving, won title of middleweight champion boxer.  He attended Midwestern University in Wichita Falls where he met Shari Marchbanks and later became a loving husband and father.
  
  Berl cherished his family and friends.  He enjoyed singing, playing the piano, harmonica and having a good time.  Berl was a member of SPAH and HOOT Organizations.  Berl retired from American Airlines as an aircraft mechanic.
  
  He is survived by his children, Josh Welch and wife Allison, Barry Welch and wife Jamie, Katie Welch; Siblings Betty Welch, Jerl Welch and wife Anne, Linda Welch and eight grandchildren.  Berl will be missed dearly.
  
  The family has requested donations be made to ALS or Alzheimer’s Association.
  
  Services will be held at Wiley Funeral Home in Glen Rose, TX on Saturday, October 6th, 2018 at 2:00 p.m., Interment: Squaw Creek Cemetery.
  --  Funeral.com, https://texas.funeral.com/2018/10/09/berl-welch/
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  Berl Welch
  1947 - 2018 Obituary
  
  Berl Welch FORT WORTH -- Berl Welch, Eagle Mountain Lake, passed on Friday, September 28, 2018 at the age of 71.
  
  SERVICES: will be held at Wiley Funeral Home in Glen Rose on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at 2 p.m., Interment: Squaw Creek Cemetery.
  
  MEMORIALS: The family has requested donations be made to ALS or Alzheimer's Association.  Berl was born on July 23, 1947 in Duncan, Okla.  He was a Christian man who was raised in a Baptist home and community.  Berl proudly served in The United States Navy and while serving, won title of middleweight champion boxer.
  
  He attended Midwestern University in Wichita Falls where he met Shari Marchbanks and later became a loving husband and father.  Berl cherished his family and friends.  He enjoyed singing, playing the piano, harmonica and having a good time.  Berl was a member of SPAH and HOOT Organizations.  Berl retired from American Airlines as an aircraft mechanic.
  
  He was preceded in death by his parents, Berley Welch and Treasure McElhanon.  Berl will be missed dearly.
  
  SURVIVORS: He is survived by his children, Josh Welch and wife, Allison, Barry Welch and wife, Jamie, Katie Welch; Siblings, Betty Welch, Jerl Welch and wife, Anne, Linda Welch; and eight grandchildren.
  --  Ft Worth Star-Telegram, on Legacy.com, https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dfw/obituary.aspx?pid=190388643
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Sources

• 1. Texas, Marriage Index, 1824-2014
• 2. U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1
• 3. Texas, Divorce Index, 1968-2014
• 4. Obituaries from Texas
• 5. Lou Ila Gregory Jenkins, Papers and Photos
• 6. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 7. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1990
• 8. Texas, Birth Index, 1903-1997