Kenneth R. Welsher

Kenneth R. Welsher, 65, of Sodus, passed away surrounded by family Monday, November 05, 2007 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, with Rev. Paul A. Koehneke officiating. Burial will follow at Lincoln Township Cemetery in Stevensville. Friends may call from 5:00 until 8:00 P.M. Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Van Andel Research Institute. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Ken was born January 10, 1942 in Niles, Michigan, the son of William and Marjorie (Patzer) Welsher. He served our country as an MP in the US Army, stationed in Romulus, New York. On April 28, 1962, he married the former Shirley Schuh in St. Joseph. After serving 27 years with Berrien County, Ken retired in January 2004 at the age of 62. In his spare time, Ken enjoyed fishing and hunting. While hunting, he spent many days & nights at his special little getaway. Even though Ken was fighting cancer, he always made sure that he went to every event or sporting event that pertained to his grandson Zachary Welsher. His grandson was his life and he was not going to let cancer get in his way. Ken is survived by his son Wayne Welsher of St. Joseph; his daughter Deborah (David) Mueller of Stevensville; and the apple of his eye, his grandson, Zachary Welsher of Benton Harbor. Ken is also survived by his loving mother Marjorie Welsher and his sibling-Judy (David) Bischoff, Kathy (Bob) Thornton, Randy (Julie) Welsher, Cindy (Hans) Ivy, Becky (Bob) Boes, and many nieces and nephews. Ken was preceded in death by his wife Shirley and his father William Welsher.