Obituary of Ila Welsh

Welsh, Ila

Saginaw, Michigan

Welsh, Ila passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 14, 2024. She was born on October 7, 1924 to the late Albert and Ethel Purcell in Saginaw, MI. Ila graduated from Arthur Hill High School and worked for several years at Second National Bank in Saginaw. She married Erwin “Bud” Welsh on December 6, 1951 at Vassar United Methodist Church. They shared 52 years of marriage, he predeceased her on October 7, 2003.

Ila and Bud loved their family, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren and spent their retirement years enjoying their home in Mesa, Arizona in the winter and cottage at Murphy Lake in the summers. They lived in Vassar for many years, were members of the Vassar United Methodist Church, and had many close friends and family there as well as in Saginaw, Frankenmuth and Mesa. Ila was a wonderful cook and baker. She was also an avid card player and didn’t believe in letting the grandchildren win! She enjoyed knitting, rose gardens, travel and bird watching. In her later years, she took a sewing class through Vassar Community Education and went on to create many outfits for her grandchildren. Ila was a member of the Vassar and Frankenmuth United Methodist Church and enjoyed sewing with the Bag Ladies mission group.

Left to celebrate her life are her daughter, Mary (Randy) Seabright, son, Kurt (Lori) Welsh, daughter, Laura (Brian) Lorenz; grandchildren, Sara Seabright, Annie (Kyle) Engelmann, Christopher (Tami) Welsh, Candice (Blaze) Panariso, Renee (Jared) Parham, Lynn (Christopher) VanDyke; and 10 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Joan Purcell and many nieces and nephews.

Ila was preceded in death by infant son, Paul; brothers: Edwin, Albert, Bill and Dan Purcell; sisters-in-law: Margaret, Genevieve, Jane, Shirley, Ann and Delores; brother and sister-in-law: Glenn and Norma Jean Welsh; and brother-in-law and sister-in-law: Frank and Lola Guglietta, as well as her nephew, Russ Purcell.

FUNERAL: Committal and burial for Ila will be held at 12:00 p.m. Saturday, April 6, 2024 at the Riverside Cemetery, 5855 Frankenmuth Road, Vassar, MI 48768. Rev. Jerry Larkin will officiate.

MEMORIALS: In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider a donation to the Roosevelt House, 17935 Roosevelt Rd, Hemlock, MI 48626, Frankenmuth James E. Wickson District Library, https://www.wicksonlibrary.org/ or a charity of the Donor’s Choice. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Deisler Funeral Home, 2233 Hemmeter Rd. (off State) Saginaw, MI 48603. Please share your thoughts and memories with the family at the cemetery or through www.DeislerFuneralHome.com