Katherine Jill Welch, 77, of Sheffield died Feb. 23, 2020, at Fairview Commons in Great Barrington, where she had resided since October. “Jill” was born Dec. 28, 1943, in Canaan, Connecticut. She was one of 11 children born to William and Dorothy (Hoffman) Hickey of Salisbury, Connecticut. Jill married the love of her life, George Welch, Feb. 14, 1962, in Richmond. They had just celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day.
Jill was devoted to her entire family and was considered a homemaker, but did enjoy the years that she worked in the cafeteria at Mount Everett Regional High School in Sheffield. Jill was either in her kitchen cooking the wonderful meals she made or in her gardens with her husband, growing vegetables and garlic that they would preserve together. She also enjoyed fishing, whether it be ice fishing in Oxbow, New York, where they lived for many years or salmon fishing on their boat, the “Katherine J,” at their camp on Lake Ontario. They both enjoyed vacationing in Eleuthera, Bahamas, in the winter months. She loved standing on the sidelines, sitting on the bleachers or bundled up in blankets sitting on the hill watching her grandsons participate in their sports.
Jill is survived by her loving husband, George, of Sheffield; daughter Linda Lawrence of Great Barrington; son James Welch of Stockbridge; grandchildren Will Lawrence and wife Amanda of Becket, and Andrew Lawrence of Great Barrington; and great-granddaughters Lily, Azalea, Cleome and Daphne. She is also survived by brother James Hickey; sisters Joan McBride, Donna Porter, Susie Poglitsch, Dottie Hurt and Debbie Sharkey; and several cousins, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by brothers William, John, Richard and Michael; and son-in-law Donald Lawrence Jr.
The family would like to thank HospiceCare in the Berkshires for their wonderful care of Jill. A special thanks to Dr. Sean Mullally, Billie Jo, the nurses and staff of the Cancer Center of the Berkshires. Huge thanks to the staff of Unit 3 at Fairview Commons, and a special thanks to Rebecca, Abdoulie, Jaclynn, Lynn, Danielle, Courtney and Clarence, who treated her as one of their own family members.
The family will receive family and friends Saturday, March 7, 2020, from noon to 2 p.m. with a service at 2 p.m. at FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME in Great Barrington. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to HospiceCare in the Berkshires c/o FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. To send remembrances to the family, go to www.finnertyandstevens.com.
