Larry Victor Welch

Larry V. Welch, 71, was born November 10, 1949 in Liberal, KS and passed away on July 15, 2021 in Pueblo, CO. He is survived by his wife of 20 years Karen Welch; daughter, Jenniffer (Jim) Valora; sister Melinda Welch (Anthony Bassetti); sister in-law, Linda Welch (Bert); niece, Becky Welch and nephews, Charles (Mia) Welch and Scott (Shelley) Welch; stepdaughter, Kristen (Tom) Ryan; stepson, Tony (Lindsay) Nibert and grandchildren, Julia, Maggie, Grace, Lily, Makayla, and Tyrel; special to his heart were Tori, Kayla, Noah and Abby. Larry was predeceased in death by his parents Dale and Ila Welch and his brother, Bert Welch.

Larry was an avid Harley motorcycle rider, participating in multiple rallies many of which were in honor of our United States armed forces and military veterans. As a veteran of the US Army himself, he was most proud of participating as a rider in the annual Run for the Wall U.S. Veteran dedication ride specifically for the veterans of the Vietnam war but also for recognition of all KIA, MIA and living veterans from all wars. In 2005, Larry rode the entire south route of the Run for the Wall with his daughter Jenniffer and her husband Jim. It was an experience that deeply touched their hearts and the memories will be held forever.

In addition to riding his Harley, he found pure enjoyment being outdoors, camping, fishing, hunting, golfing, cooking, and off-roading. He was an excellent cook and annually the family would gather in September to help can jalapeños using his own special pickling recipe. He enjoyed his time in Cripple Creek and Las Vegas. At home he was a competitive Yahtzee player - winning many family tournaments. He was very creative, a talented still life painter, air brush artist, woodworker, metal worker, and sculptor to mention a few. He enjoyed creative mechanical problem solving.

Larry grew up in Liberal, KS and moved to Pueblo as a teenager. As a child he built his own tether plane and competed locally in adult competitions, taking first place many times and frustrating the adults. He also built and raced quarter midgets with his Dad and brother, Bert. He spent many childhood hours with his grandmother, Lena learning to garden, grow and store vegetables and fishing from her boat. He was a loyal dog lover. And as a teenager was a hard worker as a cook at Pueblo's own Don's Café restaurant. He even purchased his very own 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Sport as a young man.

Larry was an excellent marksman taking champion during several turkey shoots, military exercises and received military excellence recognition for his outstanding sniper skills. He worked as a Millwright at CF&I Steel for many years and ran his own construction and woodworking businesses. In 1998, he was certified as a Mechanical Mill Technician and spent countless hours serving the local mill in this capacity.

A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to Southwest Collie and Sheltie Rescue at https://swcsrescue.com/ or a charity of your choice.