Kenneth Welch

Kenneth Welch, 75, Bismarck, passed away peacefully at home on October 2, 2020 after a long battle with health issues. A celebration of life will be held at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 7 at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Pkwy, Bismarck.

Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Wednesday at Parkway Funeral Service. The family encourages that those attending follow social distancing guidelines and wear a mask.

Following the service, burial will be held at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Bismarck.

Ken was born on March 23, 1945 to Robert and Maggie (Doll) Welch. He attended Richholt Elementary, Bismarck Junior High and graduated from Bismarck High School in 1964. During high school, Ken wrestled until a knee injury forced him to give the sport up his senior year.

Ken served six years in the Army National Guard and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant. 

He started working in the family plumbing business when he was 13 years old for 50 cents a day. Ken was an apprentice plumber until he received his journeyman’s license at age 18. He became a master plumber at 26 – the youngest the state had at the time. Ken’s career revolved around the family business and he was very proud to be apart of M. Welch & Son, Inc.

Ken married Gale Willson in 1974. They raised his two children, Rick and Nina. The two celebrated their forty-fifth anniversary on November 1, 2019.

He was an avid hunter and enjoyed going hunting immensely. Ken was a Bismarck history buff and loved learning the genealogy of his grandmother’s side of the family. The Blunt side of his family were Riverboat men and had an interesting story of life on the river.

Ken is survived by his wife, Gale; son, Rick (Karen), and their children, Mik, Cody and Bryant; son, Greg (Teri), and their children, Taylor and Noah; daughter, Samantha (Steven) Arce, and their children, Karter, Kastiel and Kristian; grandson, MacKinnon Welch; brother-in-law, Frank (Marlene) Willson, and their children, Wendy (Miranda and Joseph), and Franki Jo (Thanh) Tran; nephews, Jonathan and Nathan Willson.

He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Nina; in-laws, Frank and Freda Willson; brother-in-law, Daniel Willson.