Kim Nicholas Welch

Kim Nicholas Welch was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 1953 to William and Mary Evelyn Miller Welch. His family moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana where he spent a very happy childhood surrounded by his many Miller cousins. In 1970, his father accepted a professorship at Memphis State University where Kim graduated from East High School.

MSU became the center of his education and career. After graduating with a BA and MA in English, he taught English to international students, then moved to the Systems Development Office, and finally to computer systems in the Registrar’s Office, retiring in 2018. He made lifelong friendships along the way with his wit, patience and kindness.

Kim and Cissy met while they were both graduate assistants at Memphis State. They married in 1979 and were blessed with two children. After retirement, Kim and Cissy enjoyed being Pops and Nana to their four small grandchildren, Caroline, Jack, Charlotte, and Elaine. He read to them, played hide and seek, crawled under tables, made mac and cheese, annoyed the dog together, and especially enjoyed taking naps with them.

Kim loved the Lord Jesus and his church, serving as an elder and Bible class leader for many years. He was a lifelong student, reading avidly about subjects from history, Russian culture, sports, biographies, religion and humor. He listened to every kind of music, especially jazz, blues, and classical. What to do with his extensive libraries of books, records, cd’s, and baseball caps will remain a problem for his family for years to come.

Kim was all about fitness, spending many hours exercising in the University gym, lifting weights and running multiple 5k races each year until his illness. He enjoyed his University of Memphis sports, and was a great fan of St Louis Cardinal baseball and LSU football. To all he met, he was thoughtful, gentle, kind, and quietly hilarious. He loved his people, his backyard, and his dog. We will always remember that he made us laugh.

Kim is preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Bill and Dale. He is survived by his wife Cissy, his children Nick (Amanda) and Lucy (Brandon), his precious grandchildren, his brothers’ wives, Suzette Welch and Judy Welch, nephews, nieces, cousins, and Cissy’s family, all of whom are looking forward to seeing him in heaven again one day.

A memorial service will be held Friday, November 13 at 1:00, at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 5296 Park Avenue in Memphis, preceded by visitation at 12:00. Memorials may be directed to Christ the King Lutheran School.