Maggie Louise Welch

Obituary For Maggie Louise Welch

A celebration of life honoring Mrs. Maggie L. Welch, 80, of Talladega will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at Africa Missionary Baptist Church. Mrs. Welch will lie in state at the church one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held from 1-7 p.m. on Friday, May 10, 2024, at the funeral home.

When the day began on February 6, 1944, in Talladega, Alabama, the Lord saw fit to bless the union of Perry Willis Jenkins and Ethel (née Chapman) Jenkins with a baby girl they named Maggie Louise.

At an early age, a foundation was established for the Jenkins family at Africa Missionary Baptist Church where Maggie remained a lifelong member. During her years of worshipping at Africa, she sang in the choir and served as a deaconess, missionary and Sunday school teacher for the youth. Little did she know, in later years the Lord had an even greater job reserved just for her, but we will save that for a later time.

Maggie was educated in the schools of Talladega County. The story goes that at a very young age, Maggie was picking cotton and was terrible at it. She caught the eye of this young man that seemingly felt sorry for her and her terrible skills in the field, so he tried to help her. Years later, fate would have it that their paths crossed again in school and landed them both as members of the 1962 graduating class of R. R. Moton High School. The young man that tried to help her all those years ago was named Bobby James Welch. All those years earlier, that little girl in the cotton field had caught his attention. Maggie had become the “plum” of Bobby’s eye and on August 10, 1963, they were united in holy matrimony. Their union was blessed with three children: Bobby Jr., Berkeley and Melody.

Mrs. Welch entered the workforce dedicating years of service to Bemis Brothers Bag Co., Niki Lou, TMI and Sylacauga Hospital. During her spare time, she found joy in sewing, cooking, studying the Bible, singing and watching the news. Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo were her favorite. Maggie was the family historian and made it her business to know and spend time with her family.

On August 8, 1993, Bobby had accepted his call to ministry and preached his first sermon. Shortly thereafter, he accepted the call to pastor Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church where Maggie proudly took on her new role as first lady. As part of her new role in assisting her husband in ministry, she continued studying God’s word at the Rushing Springs District School of Theology where she obtained certificates in Christian Education and Christian Leadership.

Mrs. Welch is a tremendous loss to her loving husband of over 60 years, Reverend Bobby J. Welch; two children, Bobby (Alice) Welch, Jr. and Melody Welch (Algernon) Thomas; a special son/nephew, Timothy Chapman; a special daughter/niece, LaWanda (Cedric) Stamps; eleven grandchildren, Turnika (Antuan), Briquell, Shantavias, Derrius, Ashley, DeMarcus (Stefanie), Brianna, Mariah, Antonio “TJ”, Madelyn and Krystal; six great grandchildren, Ceeje, Stefan, Jay’Ceon, Ja’nyce, Khaliya and Aureya; one great-great grandchild, TJ; five sisters, Vera J. (Booker T.) Booker, Ernestine Henly, Claudine (Levi) Chatman, Georgia Holt and Margarett (Wallace) Barclay; three brothers, John T. (Mary) Jenkins, Percy L (Cynthia) Jenkins and Kenneth (Deborah) Jenkins; four sisters-in-law, Josephine Draper, Eula Peters, Betty L. Welch and Debra Stockdale; five brothers-in-law, Pastor Van T. (Betty) Welch, Pastor Percy A. Welch, George Smith, Pastor Mitchell (Mary) Welch and James Chapman; special cousins and friends, Henrietta Hawkins, Louise Williams, David McGhee, Curtis L. McGhee, R. R. Moton Class of 1962 and Melissa Turner; and host of other relatives and friends.

On the afternoon of May 5, 2024, the Lord saw that Maggie had gotten tired so he called her to rest safely in his arms. She was preceded in passing by her son, Berkeley K. Welch; her parents, Perry and Ethel Jenkins; and five siblings, Marjorie Chapman, Rev. Willie C. Jenkins, Juanita J. Smith, Marilyn Pinkston and Earline J. Smith.

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