Marie Catheryn Welch

Marie Catheryn Welch

Marie Catheryn Mergenmeier Welch went to meet her Lord and Savior on Jan. 19, 2018, at the

age of 77.

A mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Matthew Catholic Church, with

visitation from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Brennan Mathena Funeral Home. Marie will be buried in

Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Seneca on Monday at 2:30 p.m..

Born to Stella Lierz Mergenmeier and George Mergenmeier in their rural Nemaha Valley, KS,

home March 21, 1940, this family- and church-loving woman left many to mourn her death

and celebrate her life.

Attending grade school at Sts. Peter and Paul School in Seneca, she graduated from Mount St.

Scholastica High School in Atchison in 1958.

Marie married Merle William Welch on June 6, 1959. He survives of the home.

After working for a short time for Hallmark Cards and Southwestern Bell she changed careers

to full-time parent and homemaker.

She and Merle raised four children: Janice (Tim) Salyer of Topeka, Michael (Lori) Welch of

Topeka, Catheryn (Tim) Hrenchir of Topeka and Cheryl (Brent) DeShazer of Mariposa, CA.

Marie was a member of St. Matthew Catholic Church and of the Altar Society and St. Theresa’s

Guild at the church.

Merle and Marie were blessed with six grandchildren: Natasha (Ron) Averiss, Jessica (Joshua)

Tommaso, Phillip Salyer, Emily DeShazer, Ian DeShazer and Connor Welch; and three greatgrandchildren:

Benjamin Averiss, Evelyn Averiss and Josephine Tommaso. Grammarie provided

“taxi service” whenever needed, and the grandchildren all knew of her $20 pocket.

Marie herself came from a large family. Siblings Eleanor Rusche, Dorothy Mae Koch, George

(Nadine) Mergenmeier and Jeannette (Ernest) Graham survive, as does sister-in-law Dorothy

Mergenmeier. Marie’s siblings Melvin, Rosie (Bill) McMurphy, and brothers-in-law Glenn Rusche

and Sylvester Koch preceded her in death.

Merle’s family were another extension of Marie’s circle of love. Brothers and sisters were the

late John Welch (Alberta survives), the late Martin (Lottie) Welch, the late Cecil (Ida) Welch,

the late Maurice (Betty) Welch, the late Patricia (Ray) Braden, the late Regina (Bob) Keehn,

Claude (Barb) Welch (both who survive), Claude’s late first wife Sharon, the late Lillis “Bud”

Welch (Teri survives) and Lauren (Maura) Welch (both survive).

Marie spent the last few years of her life fighting against Parkinson’s Disease. The family asks

that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Parkinson’s research or to the Saint Matthews

Altar Society.