John Stephen Welch passed away peacefully with his family at his side at the age of 80 years.  He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 52 years, Rosemary, his brother Bill, his sister, Mary, his children Mike, Phil (Francine), Greg (Rhona), and Cathy (Jerry), and his grandkids Christina, Juliana, Nicholas, Brenna, Maddie, Ethan, and Sarah.

Dad was born in Chicago on February 19, 1932.  He came to Canada as a young boy and settled in Winnipeg.  He lived in Winnipeg for approximately 14 years and graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1954.  He then moved to Vancouver to escape from the cold and to attend law school.  While in law school John met Rosemary, the love of his life, on a blind date.  They dated for a year and were married in 1960, the same year  John graduated from UBC law school,  and embarked on a lifelong journey.  They had four children and seven grandchildren, who they love dearly.  John and Rosemary celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2010.  Dad was a dedicated family man who loved fine literature, music, Italian food, mafia stories, and Las Vegas.  Dad had many odd habits from snoring to drinking vast quantities of milk, to repeatedly lighting the chicken on fire while barbequing, occasionally being distracted enough to drive right by his own house, to yelling at the dog constantly, even though we always knew he secretly loved the dog as much as the rest of us.  Dad made us laugh with his colorful language and love of gardening.  He was a gentle man and touched all of us in his own special way.

The family wants to express their thanks to the staff of the North Shore Hospice for their attention, care, and respect.  In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate consideration of a donation to the North Shore Hospice.