Margaret "Margie" Janet Welsh

Margie (Margaret) Janet Welsh died peacefully at the age of 90, on Saturday October 23rd, 2021 with family by her side. She was born to Ronald and Peggy (Margaret) Tuxworth in Sault Ste Marie, MI. Margie joined two older sisters, Jeanie and Gladys. The youngest of the bunch, she often told stories of being rascals and their adventures in the upper peninsula.

She met the love of her life, Jack (John) Welsh in junior high school and they married August 1st, 1952. Soon after, they welcomed four daughters, Shelly, Laura, Janet, and Paula. In 1965, they moved their family of six to Fort Collins, CO to start a new life.

While raising her family, Margie taught elementary school. She spent 10 years teaching first through fourth grades at Stove Prairie. Residents there were always amazed she drove up the canyon to go to work versus down to the valley. She later taught at Waverly School and Eyestone in Wellington, CO. She continued her own education, earning her master’s degree in her fifties. She was a firm believer in creating an impactful learning environment and did so for many years until her retirement from teaching. She continued as a substitute teacher and tutored students from time to time.

In her retirement years she took part in many activities from attending her grandchildren’s sporting and 4-H events, theatrical productions, academic competitions, and graduations to working on craft projects, knitting and beading. Ever the teacher, she made sure to create alphabet books for her great-grandchildren, each of them unique.

Margie and Jack were loyal CSU Rams women’s basketball fans and would attend games regularly. She enjoyed camping, canoeing, and fishing with her family. Pinedale and Glendo in Wyoming were some of her favorite spots. She often joked that Colorado would be perfect if you could just plop Lake Superior next to the mountains. She was adventurous, learning to downhill ski when she was 40 and taking the weekend bus up to Hidden Valley with a bunch of teenagers.

She loved to spend time with her children and their families as well as her sisters, her nieces and nephews and their families. She could be found reading an interesting book or newspaper article and was astute at keeping in touch with all of her extended family and friends. She enjoyed her dogs Casey and Madchen, volunteering at archaeological digs in Crow Canyon, attending art exhibits, learning about other cultures, traveling, gardening, and cooking. She made the most incredible chocolate chip cookies, white chili, and green tomato cake.

Margie was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Fort Collins for over 50 years. An active member of her church, she hosted a table at the annual women’s tea, participated in her women’s circle group, and could be found compassionately helping others who reached out for support. Her generosity and empathy were evident in her hosting CSU International students over several years, carefully planning birthday and Christmas gift purchases over the entire year, and her regular donations to many causes over her entire life.

She’d always welcome you with a smile and had a way of bringing warmth to a conversation. She was a sassy, humorous, loving, caring woman to all who knew her. She will be greatly missed.

Margie was preceded in death by her loving husband Jack Welsh, her sisters Jean Williams and Gladys Strahl, brother-in-law Robert Williams, and nephew Mark Williams. She leaves behind her four daughters Shelly (Ken) Davis, Laura (Sean) Fagan, Janet (Phil) Crossley, Paula (Jim) Howard, her grandchildren, Joshua (Mae) Davis, Ethan (Moriah) Davis, Benjamin (Michele Clemente) Davis, Bonnie (Helga Bryndis) Davis, Caitlin (Josh) Jones, Donnica (Ben D’Arcey) Fagan, Kenneth Crossley, Jonathan Crossley, Brandon Howard, and 10 great-grandchildren.

A memory service and reception to follow will take place Friday November 19th, 2021 at 1:00 pm in the Resthaven Funeral Home at 8426 S HWY 287, Fort Collins, CO 80525. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Women for Women International, a foundation that gives aid to women in third world countries, a cause about which Margie was passionate.