Alice Welch, 88, on September 3, 2019, while sleeping, went to be with the Lord to experience more joy than we can imagine; being with Jesus and all her loved ones that preceded her. Born in Paterson, New Jersey to Polish immigrants Gabriel and Stella Guzik, and raised there with eleven siblings, she graduated from Eastside High School in 1948, voted the best looking in her class yearbook.
After working with Prudential Insurance for a few years, she married Donald Cunningham, at EL Toro Marine Base in California. They had six boys while moving to northern IL, Paterson, NJ, and back to California. In1959, the resourceful Alice filled out and sent in the application for Don to join the San Diego Fire Department. Her boys have many times thanked her and God for that move. The marriage ended five years later due to Don’s alcoholism.
A great example of resilience and loving-kindness, Alice worked several jobs in sales, the food industry, and her at boys’ schools to raise her sons until they were old enough to work also. Her Catholic faith and value for education led her athletic altar boys through many years of parochial and public schools and college. Her boys had many friends at their home who enjoyed her hospitality and respected her greatly. In 1973 she married again to Herb Welch, until he left ten years later because she wanted only her boys to have her home upon her demise.
Suffering a debilitating stroke in 1994, her resilience and tenacity once again were obvious as she worked through various health issues for the next 25 years. In 2008 she moved to Phoenix AZ where her firefighter son, Pat and his nurse practitioner wife, Claire expertly guided her through the health care system, ending with her stay at the Ryan House, Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix.
Alice was predeceased by her parents, brothers John and Otto Guzik, her five sisters, Anne Guzik, Irene Guzik, Jane Jazwinski, Helen Jakubowski, Elenor Waczak, her son, Bradley and her great grand daughter, Emma Cunningham. Alice is survived, her two brothers, Edmund Guzik, Chester Guzik and his wife Pat; two sisters: Sophie Pohl and Stella Cleaver; her sons, Kevin, Ed, Justy, Pat, and Chris Cunningham, many nieces and nephews, and other family members.
A memorial service will be held at Shadow Mountain Mortuary, 2350 E. Greenway Rd., Phoenix AZ 85022 on Sunday, September 8, at 10 am. In lieu of flowers, please donate to: Ryan House, Hospice of the Valley at https://www.hov.org/locations/ryan-house/
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