Traverse City, Michigan - Robert Edward Welch Sr., 79 of Traverse City, passed away, Wednesday July 22, 2026.

He was born on April 9, 1947, in Middleton, New York, the son of Henry F. and Phyllis M. (Halcott) Welch. On June 12, 1971, he was married to Mary Ann Harrigan of Buckley, Michigan.

He was a proud veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served as a Civil Engineer at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia and at Bien Hoa Airbase in Viet Nam. He was employed in the retail food industry for over 40 years. He also worked at Northwest Michigan Surgical Hospital in Traverse City, Michigan and at Davis-Smith Funeral Home in Glenwood, Arkansas. He enjoyed coin collecting and baseball, and coached American Legion baseball in Traverse City for 19 years. He was a Protestant and a member of the Glenwood, Arkansas, First Church of the Nazarene.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Welch of Traverse City, one son Robert E. Welch Jr. and his wife Heather Ann (Alpin) Welch of Traverse City; a beautiful granddaughter, Autumn Alyssa (Welch) Gillman and her husband Alex Porterville, Michigan and one sister Susan E. (Jerry) Pate of Glenwood, Arkansas.

He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother William H. Welch of Glenwood, Arkansas, two uncles, Arthur A Welch of Virginia and Harvey P. Halcott of Michigan; and a lifelong friend and "brother", Steve Schoch of Sanford, Maine.

Military gravesides services will be held at Cornell Cemetery, Buckley, Michigan with a date to be determined.

Beacon Cremation & Funeral Service, Covell Traverse City Chapel, is in charge of services.

www.beaconfh.com