Christopher Welsh

Christopher Valiant Welsh died with his family by his side on Saturday, December 19, 2020.

Chris is survived by his best friend Yolly, his loving wife of 45 years, who held his hand in the final moments of his life. Chris was an exemplary father and grandfather. He had three adoring daughters, Elizabeth (Gerrit), Kristine (Brian), and Susan Welsh (Rick), all who will miss him dearly, and four grandchildren, Kayley, Brody, Hana and Hallie. Chris is survived by his siblings, Bryan and Theresa. The family celebrates that Chris is at peace with his creator and has now gone to join his parents, Johnnie and Dorothy and his brothers, John and Robert and sister Carolyn.

Chris was born a preemie at Fort Benning, Georgia on Aug. 31, 1953. The next day he was nestled into a tomato box where he rode across the country to his father’s next Army post. The Army took the Welsh family on many adventures, three years at a time, to places including Germany, where Chris spent many of his formative years. After returning to the US, his family settled in Carson City where Chris graduated from high school and then joined the US Navy.

Chris dutifully served in the US Navy, retiring after 22 years and reaching the highly regarded rank of Chief Warrant Officer, where his primary duties were those of a technical and tactical leader. Chris had a love of education and earned a masters degree in human resources during this time. While Chris retired in Fallon, NV, he spent most of his years at the San Diego naval bases where he could be close to family. His mother Dorothy, was one of nine siblings who took seriously their Irish Catholic duty to go forth and multiply - and on many outings throughout the county it was common to run into a cousin. A highlight of the Welsh family’s year was always the family reunion campouts that are still held each July.

Chris was an educator at heart. He was kind, had a quick wit, and always made time to roll up his sleeves for others in need. Even after his diagnosis of advanced lung cancer, he continued to make phone calls for the many ministries for which he volunteered. Devotion to God, family and his fellow man were abundantly clear in Chris’ life. Chris and Yolly recently returned to Nevada to be part of their young granddaughters’ lives and Chris quickly became an active parishioner of St. Albert the Great Catholic Church, serving as Grand Knight for Council 7322 of the Order of the Knights of Columbus and co-leader of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in his memory be made to St. Vincent’s Dining Room w/ Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada at ccsnn.org.

A private funeral Mass is scheduled for Thursday, December 31, 2020 at noon at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church. The mass will be streamed at: https://youtu.be/rNPzRhT67l8 Arrangements in Reno are with Walton Family of Funeral Homes. 

Interment will Military Honors will be Tuesday, Jan. 5th at 9am, Miramar National Cemetery, San Diego under the direction of Anderson-Ragsdale Mortuary. 
 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Christopher Welsh, please visit our floral store.