CHICOPEE – Patrick E. Welch, 88, of the Fairview section of Chicopee, was Called Safely Home on Saturday, February 3, 2024. He passed into Eternal Life at Mercy Medical Center in Springfield surrounded by the care and comfort of his loving family. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa on Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1935, a beloved son of the late Clarence L. and Margaret M. (Lynd) Welch. He moved to the Chicopee Falls section of the city at the age of eight, attended Saint Patrick Grammar School, graduated from Chicopee High School, Class of 1953, and was a resident of Chicopee for most of his life. In 1965, he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business from American International College in Springfield. Patrick served his country in the United States Army after the Korean War as an anti-aircraft radar instructor and instructional cadre, and attained the rank of Specialist Third Class. He was employed for 30 years at the former Uniroyal (Fisk) Tire Plant in Chicopee where he held positions in accounting, sales, and various production functions, and was last serving as the Employment Supervisor until the closing of the plant in 1980. He was self-employed as an income tax preparer and also as an unemployment hearings representative for various employers from 1985 through 2014. He also was a certified business teacher and substituted in the Chicopee School System for many years. He was elected to the Chicopee Board of Aldermen in 1987 and retired from the board in 2000. While serving on the board, he was the Acting Mayor in 1997. He was a co-chairman of the 1953 Chicopee High School Class Reunion Committee. He was a longtime communicant of Saint Anne Church in Chicopee where he served his parish for many years as a lector. He was a member of the Tigers’ Athletic Club in Chicopee. Patrick was a sports enthusiast and was a lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. He also played baseball and softball for several local teams. He was a serious coin collector and loved working in his garden. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his family and many friends. He leaves his beloved wife and best friend, Priscilla L. (Geoffroy) Welch. They were married on September 16, 1961 at Sainte Rose de Lima Church in Chicopee and they were blessed with over 62 years of happiness together. He also leaves his four loving and devoted children, Kevin M. Welch and his wife, Michele, of Fort Worth, TX, Patrick G. Welch and his wife, Oveta, of Collierville, TN, Philip E. Welch and his wife, Maria, of Springfield, and Kathleen A. Couture and her husband, Joseph, of Ashby, MA; his 13 cherished grandchildren, his four cherished great grandchildren; his dear sister, Ethel DeBakker and her husband, Peter, of Harwich; his two dear brothers in law, Arthur Geoffroy and his wife, Rita, of Holyoke, and Robert Geoffroy and his wife, Carolyn, of Michigan; his dear sister in law, Joan Gagne of Granby; and his many dear nephews, nieces, cousins, extended family members and friends. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his dear brother in law, Richard Gagne. His Funeral will be held on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 beginning at the St. Pierre-Phaneuf Fairview Chapels, (413-533-3307), 506 Britton Street, Chicopee, MA 01020, (funeral home will open at 9:30 a.m.), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. at Saint Anne Church, 30 College Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. His Committal Service with United States Army Military Honors will follow the Mass at 1 p.m. in the Chapel at the Massachusetts Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, 1390 Main Street, Agawam, MA 01001. His family will receive friends on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The funeral home parking lot is located in the rear. His family requests that memorial donations be made in his memory to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 Saint Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959. For more details and to leave his family condolence messages, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com