Obituary of Dean Earl Welch

<b>Lexington, KY</b> Dean Earl Welch, 77, of <b>Lexington, KY</b>, passed away on November 15, 2014, surrounded by his loving family. Dean was born August 5, 1937, in Aledo, IL, to Jewel and Irene Welch. He was raised on the family farm with his siblings Rex, Dorothy (Smith), and Dwight. He graduated from Aledo High School in 1955. Dean was united in marriage with Sandra Jean Conway on September 27, 1958, at St. Catherine's Catholic Church, Aledo, IL. He graduated with a B.A. in Chemistry and Math from Monmouth College ('59) and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ('63). In 1964, Dean started working at Dr. Salsbury's Laboratory in Charles City, IA, where he would spend the majority of his career. The company later became Solvay Animal Health, Inc., where he retired in 1993 as vice president of operations. Dean developed an avocation as a pilot after he learned to fly in 1969. He earned ratings as a commercial, instrument, and multi-engine pilot. He later became a flight instructor and chief pilot for Charles City Aeronautics. As a charter pilot, he carried passengers and freight throughout the United States. Dean is remembered as an extremely competent pilot, flight instructor, and mentor, but most of all, as a friend. He left a legacy through his capable training of multiple generations of pilots. Dean was a devoted and caring husband to Sandy. They married after several years of old-fashioned dating, beginning their 56-year marriage as best friends and partners-in-crime. They had many adventures that saw them traveling across the United States, becoming parents, settling down in Charles City, and finally retiring in Lexington. In the early years of their marriage, he doted on Sandy to make sure she didn't suffer from "cabin fever" while staying at home with six kids. On special occasions, he took her on dates to the Hubbell House in Mantorville, MN. Later, there were dates for dinner or breakfast out so she didn't have to mess up the kitchen. When someone once asked him for the secret of a long marriage, his eyes twinkled, and he gave her a glance, saying, "Oh, it's cheaper to keep her." It was clear every day that he loved Sandy from the bottom of his soul. As a father of six, Dean had to be a jack-of-all-trades in order to support all of their varied activities and interests. He played them in pool in the basement. He restored an antique pinball machine for them to enjoy. He curled up on Sundays to watch the old classics with them: Abbott and Costello, The Three Stooges, Charlie Chan. He attended all of their sporting events. He helped to make gigantic snowmen on Beck Street and made homemade ice cream in the garage on Park Lane Drive. There were vacations to lakes in Minnesota, the Como Park Zoo, and Wrigley Field in Chicago. There were evening drives around town with an occasional stop at the AW. And, of course, they were with him when he flew. He would pack the kids into a Piper or Cessna and fly to exotic destinations like Prairie du Chien, Mason City, Ottumwa, and Rochester. As a grandfather of nineteen, he is remembered as the loving and affectionate Grandpa Dino or PopPop who always had a computer game such as Freddy Fish or Putt Putt to play with them. His computer room was filled with wind-up animals for the grandkids to set in motion as well as photos of the grandkids on every shelf in the room. As the grandkids got older, he filled their email inboxes with silly emails of animated characters and funny music. Dean enjoyed using his love of technology to engage and entertain the grandkids and to show them that he was thinking of them. He dearly loved his children, grandchildren and great grandson, and enjoyed his profession from his time in the laboratory to his years as an administrator. The icing on the cake was his time flying. His life was blessed in many ways, and he in turn blessed those around him. His special greeting to his family was a cheerful, "Oogie oogie!" and it's likely that is the first greeting family will hear when meeting him again in heaven. Dean is survived by his wife, Sandra, and six children: Mary Breitbach of Charles City, IA; Mike (Julie) Welch of Yuma, AZ; Alison Vierk of West Lafayette, IN; Kris Meyer of State College, PA; Eric (Cindy) Welch of Lakeville, MN; and Sharon (Susan McDowell) Welch of <b>Lexington, KY</b>. He is also survived by nineteen grandchildren and one great grandchild. The family expresses their thanks and gratitude to the staff at Baptist Health (Lexington). The compassion and care provided by the staff was deeply appreciated. <b>Funeral Information</b> Services will be held Friday, November 21, at Pax Christi Catholic Church in <b>Lexington, KY</b>.