Mr. James “Jim” Albert Welch, age 86, of Bennington, Indiana, left this life to be with his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, August 23, 2022 at 12:28 p.m. at his residence. In Jim’s final days he was surrounded with love and care with his wife and family at his bedside. Jim began his eternal life on the birthday of two people he dearly loved, his precious granddaughter Amber and his late friend Beverly “Bevie” Sue Cook. Jim entered this life on March 22, 1936 in Madison, Indiana. He was the loving son of the late Augustus Gary Welch and Ruby (Means) Welch. Jim was raised in Bennington on the family farm and was a 1954 graduate of Vevay High School. Jim was a member of the Vevay Warriors Basketball team. He resided in Switzerland County his entire life. Jim enlisted in the United States Army on May 16, 1956. He was honored and very proud to have served his country. While Jim was stationed in Esslingen, Germany, at the Nellingen U.S. Army base, he met his pretty “fraulein” and future wife Johanna. Jim held the rank of Private First Class and served as a Construction Machine Operator. He was honorably discharged on February 28, 1958. On February 8, 1959, Jim was united in marriage to Johanna Alma Weber at the Bennington United Methodist Church. God blessed this happy union with four children, Scott (late), Eric, John and Heidi. Jim spent many years working on the family farm in Bennington with his wife and sons. They raised various crops including tobacco, corn and soybeans. They also had a farrow to finish hog operation. Jim loved his bountiful garden and fruit trees. In 1972 Jim and Johanna started their traveling food business “The German Corner.” In the early 90’s they expanded the business to catering weddings and receptions to having Crosswell bus tours to their home on Fairview Road. They were a local favorite at The Swiss Wine Festival with their special German recipes. If Jim wasn’t helping with the food, you might just find him and Bevie Sue doing the “Chicken Dance” with the crowd. Jim and Johanna will always be remembered wearing their authentic German costumes as they served food from the German Corner. Jim was known to be a big talker, at times getting a little sidetracked visiting and talking when he was supposed to be at the grill tending to the schnitzels and sausages. “If the sausages were cooked black you knew what Jim had been up to.” Jim and Johanna retired from traveling with the German Corner in 2004. They continued to serve food and entertain their guests from their home until retirement in 2010. Jim could have wrote a book on all the over the road adventures they had traveling with the German Corner. His children and grandchildren greatly enjoyed listening to all his stories. Jim lived his life to the fullest with a contagious laugh, a little mischief and a zest for life. He loved to say, no matter what job laid ahead: “Don’t we have the biggest ole times!” Jim was a member of the Bennington Community Church. Jim’s entire life he loved and served the Lord. One of his favorite scriptures was: Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. Jim was a family man and he treasured his children and grandchildren. He greatly enjoyed spending time with each and every one of them. They in turn showered him with love and affection. Jim also loved his friends dearly, he never met a stranger and was always more than willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. Jim and Johanna loved to travel and over the years they went back and visited family in Germany. They also traveled and enjoyed the sights of Italy, Switzerland and Austria. They traveled to Hawaii where Jim was proud to have danced the hula with the beautiful hula girls! They greatly enjoyed their family trips with their children to Gatlinburg, Disney World, Washington DC and Niagara Falls. Jim was a carpenter and a fine furniture craftsman. He built numerous beautiful pieces of furniture for Johanna over the years. Jim made it a goal to design and build a piece of furniture for each of his grandchildren to present it to them for their high school graduation. He accomplished that goal and those furniture pieces are greatly cherished.
Jim will be deeply missed by his loving wife, Johanna of Bennington; his sons, Eric (Tammy) Welch of Cross Plains and John (Kathy) Welch of Fairview; his daughter, Heidi (David) Culp of Merritt Island, FL; his daughter-in-law, Cynthia “Cindy” Welch of Pleasant; his grandchildren, April (Adam) Shepherd, Christina Welch & partner Andre Hawkins, Kurtis Gregory, Daniel (Emily) Welch, Amber (Michael) Clark, Meghan (Jimmy) Cobb, Colleen O’Sullivan, Juliana Welch, Breinna (Hunter) West, Makenzie Welch, Carly Amy, Alyssa Culp and Olivia Culp; his great-grandchildren, Ethan, Ella, Emily, Amiya, Ava, Aubrey, Kameron, Graham, Dalton (Katlyn), Jaxon, Capri, Wilder, Hudson, Hadley, Harper, Adalyn, Eloise, Trevyn, Kayden and Creed and his sister-in-law, Ingeborg Krinke of Kirchheim-Teck, Germany.
He was preceded in death by his father, Augustus Gary Welch 8/17/77; his mother, Ruby (Means) Welch 9/1/85; his son, Graham Scott Welch 10/20/01; his grandson, James Ryan Welch 4/13/80; his brother-in-law, Joseph Krinke 12/24/99; his mother-in-law, Alma Fiebig 8/13/03; his father-in-law, Erich Fiebig 8/16/06 and his lifelong best friends, Jerry Furnish 9/3/15 and Beverly “Bevie” Sue Cook 9/18/09.
Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at the Haskell & Morrison Funeral Home, 208 Ferry Street, Vevay, Indiana 47043.
The Celebration of Jim’s Life will be conducted at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, September 1, 2022, by Pastor Mike Sawalich, at the Bennington Community Church, 12088 Bennington Pike, Vevay, Indiana 47043.
Interment and full military rites will be conducted by the Honor Guard of the Vevay American Legion Post #185 and the Vevay VFW Post #5396 in the Slawson Cemetery in Bennington, Indiana.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Scott Welch Scholarship Fund c/o CFSCI or Bennington Community Church. Cards are available at the funeral home, church or online at www.haskellandmorrison.com