Joan (Tighe) Welch

Joan (Tighe) Welch was born and raised in in Woburn, MA, a working class suburb of Boston, in February of 1937. Joan passed away peacefully on May 13, 2016.

She excelled in sports and school, and her curiosity to see the country and spread her wings prompted her to leave home at 18 and head for New York City, sharing a flat with 2 other flight attendants for United Airlines. After marrying and moving to Chicago, Joan survived a plane crashing into her apartment building near Midway Airport and ran to safety with her year old firstborn son (please see “A life sustained by luck and love” in the Mercer Island Reporter March 5, 2012).

Mother to two additional boys, Joan eventually landed in Washington where she was a fixture both in Bellevue while working at the Boys and Girls Club, and later in Mercer Island where she ruled the roost for 21 years at Club Emerald. Along the way she coached boys’ baseball, and worked to improve and shape hundreds of young lives through youth employment programs. Her kindness, generosity, patience, and willingness to help others were trademarks of her life.

She was a 14 year heart transplant recipient success story, and legendary amongst her doctors for never complaining. She leaves behind numerous friends and well-wishers, her ex-husband Hal, sons Carey, Bryan, and Darren, daughter in-law Katie, and two beautiful grandchildren, Braydon and Dillon.

Her optimistic spirit lives on in all of us, as she believed that no hurdle or obstacle was too challenging to conquer, and every person had something great to offer. Godspeed, Joan Welch.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the University of Washington Medical Center Fund for Greatest Need.