Joe Collins Welch Jr.

I am so honored and humbled to pay tribute to Joe Welch, a unique individual and my very special friend and father in law.

You see, Papa Joe, as all of us knew him, was like the father I never had, and as with many of you, I came to love him, respect him and admire him for what he was and what he represented. He was as American as apple pie and as Texan as the San Jacinto Monument. He was a voracious reader, and had a passion for current events. And he followed politics like a hawk. He was a true Texan thru and thru and could tell you more about Texas history than you could ever learn in a college history class. Once we were on our way to a place near Columbus that he called his “pasture”, and we passed a non-descript road called Possum Bend and he said, “About a mile up that way, Sam Houston and his men camped on their way to San Jacinto in 1836 to kick Santa Ana’s tail.”

To his business associates in the oil and gas industry, he was known and respected as Joe C. Welch, a man whose word was his bond and whose handshake sealed the deal. But to most of us, he was simply “Papa Joe” – a man you just enjoyed being around …listening to…joking with…fishing with…and yes, on occasion, sharing a beer or two with. Of course, his other sons-in-law shared more of the latter with him than I did.

Papa Joe was born on November 1, 1924 in San Angelo, Texas the first son of Joe Collins Welch Sr., and Annie Elizabeth Rutledge Welch. He said later that they gave him the backbone and understanding that served him well throughout his life. He grew up and went to school in Houston and graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in 1941. Later that year at age 16, he joined the Texas National Guard unit in Houston and when World War II broke out that December, his unit was nationalized and sent to Hawaii just four days after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. On D Day, plus six, June 12, 1944, Joe and the men of the 766th Tank Battalion were on Saipan Island in the Pacific. He was a tank driver, and they already had helped capture the vital Aslito Airfield on the southern end of the island. And they had pushed the enemy back almost to the sea on the island’s eastern side, to the steep, jagged cliffs east of Mount Nafutan where they watched in horror as hundreds of the Japanese jumped to their deaths rather than surrender.

Papa Joe was proud to be in the US Army and was honorably discharged in 1945 as a Sergeant, but he always enjoyed re-telling the stories of his army days. As a matter of fact one of his great grand children, Colton Darlow, said one of his fondest memories of Papa Joe was sitting with him looking at his pictures and listening to his stories. “He could tell stories better than anybody,” Colton recently said proudly.

When he got out of the army and returned home, Papa Joe thought he was going to rest up and – as he put it – chase a lot of those pretty girls he left behind. But the Monday morning after he got back, his father came into his room at 5:30 am, pulled the covers back and said to him, “Joe, get up. We’ve gotta go.”

“Where to?” Papa Joe asked.

“To work. You’re going to work!” And they did.

Joe’s dad was in the oil tank business, and for the next several years he worked along his dad building storage tanks for the oil industry. (Parenthetically, he told me later that any “girl chasing” he did was on Saturday nights, but only if he could get away from his dad.) Then in 1955 he joined Smith Industries, a diversified company serving the growing oil and gas industry in Houston. There he remained throughout his working life, rising to the position of President of the Oil and Gas Division until he retired in 1988.

He always regretted not being able to go to college and get his engineering degree, but when he talked to his boss, Tyson Smith, about it, Tyson told him, “Why do you want to do that? You’ve got engineers working for you and if you need more, we’ll hire them.” So Papa Joe never went to college. Instead he turned Smith Industries into one of the largest, most successful and respected service companies in the oil and gas industry.

In _______ he married Mazie Jaynes of Houston who had two small children: Jayney and Jimmy Jaynes, who he helped raise and who looked up to him as their father figure. Papa Joe and Mazie became close friends with Dodie and Bennie Smith who had four daughters: Linda, Saundra, Donna and Debbie. Papa Joe and Mazie divorced in the early 1970’s, and Ben Smith died suddenly of cancer in 1988. About a year later, Papa Joe and his longtime friend, Dodie Smith, decided to get married, and all the children were grown by this time were delighted and began preparing all the arrangements. Unbeknownst to them, however, the newlyweds-to-be called them from Hawwaii and informed them that they had gotten married there. “We couldn’t wait,” they said.

At any rate, Papa Joe and Dodie Smith Welch were married in 1989 and spent 23 loving years together until his death last Tuesday. “I lost a giant piece of my heart,” Dodie said.

While today we join one another in sadness at Papa Joe’s parting, I know he would want us to think instead of all the good times we had together and the fun times we shared. If there ever was a man who touched so many lives, it was Joe Welch. He will remain in our thoughts forever for he truly was so special in each of our lives.

In addition to his precious wife, Dodie, Papa Joe is survived by his step children: Jaynie Hill and her husband Gary; Jimmy Jaynes and his wife Pat; Linda Woods and her husband Randy; Saundra Whiddon and her husband Bill; Donna Ables and her husband Ken; and Debbie Haver and her husband Chris. He is also survived by 11 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren, and two and a half great-great grandchildren.

Pallbearers are: Wesley Mahone, Jimmy Jacobs, Ben Boyde, Clay Mixon, Todd Mixon and Chris Haver, Jr. Honorary pall bearers are: Randy Woods, Bill Whiddon, Ken Ables, Chris Haver, Sr., Robert Welch and Gary Hill.

And finally….This thought……

Our memories of Papa Joe are keepsakes

From which we’ll never part.

God now has him in his keeping

We have him in our hearts.

Although his presence is gone

And he no longer can be touched

We thank God for the memories

That will always mean so much.

We love you and will miss you, Papa Joe.