Jason David Welsh Obituary (1970

Jason David Welsh, our "Golden Boy", died peacefully on October 13, at 6:57 PM in his Oak Park, MI home under the loving, constant, and attentive care of his life-long partner, Carole (Riepe) Welsh, mother of their devoted sons, Jack Taylor (22), Wiley Harrison (21), and Zane Roger (19) Welsh. The song, Angel of Montgomery by John Prine had just ended. He was born and raised in Beaver Falls, PA on August 28, 1970 to his deeply bereaved parents, Roger E. and Carol (Taylor) Welsh of Beaver Falls, PA and mother-in-law, Betty Stanczyk of Pinckney, MI. Although he spent his entire adult life in the Detroit area, his affinity for his hometown never waned. Jason attended grade school at St. Mary's Catholic School where lifelong friendships were created. After attending BFHS, he went on to graduate from both Clarion University and the United States Air Force as a Reserve. He then pursued his J.D. from the University of Toledo and made a career in Workers Compensation law. An extremely hands-on father, Jason coached Berkley Hoops basketball teams for many years. During this time, he joined weekly pick-up games himself. Just like how he spent his youth: on the street, playing sports, making friends. Luckily, Jason pursued his passion for travel, naturally including his boys in the adventures. They have given him so very much to be proud of due to their amazing qualities, but what stood out the most was what they could teach him through their curiosity and knowledge of the world and their wherewithal while exploring it. All three boys gave the utmost devotion to their father in his greatest time of need and did so in an awe-inspiring way. Although he was a humble man, Jason's pride in his family was known. Jason liked everyone and everyone liked Jason. His lifelong friends (and neighbors) Jimmy and Pete Carbone, and Jason Sciarro were more like brothers. High School brought many deep friendships, but one stood out in Roxanne Esoldo. She gives new meaning to "through thick and thin". In Detroit, it was the "Pancake Breakfast" ("we do it every month") crew of Mike Reinholm and Brian Demery. All of these friendships revolved around a shared love of movies and music and, most importantly, laughter. Along with kindness, laughter was Jason's forte. Jason had the ability to make you feel like you were the most important person in the world and that was what made him the best uncle to 16 nieces and nephews and a great-niece and nephew. Preceding Jason in death were his paternal grandparents, Wiley and Almeda Welsh, his maternal grandfather, Melvin Taylor, fathers-in-law, William Riepe and William Stanczyk. His memory will forever live with his surviving siblings, Roger Welsh II of Jacksonville, FL, Maria Welsh and Brian Keena of Charlottesville, VA, Tara (Welsh) and Mark Lindsay of Bradford Woods, PA, Anita (Welsh) and Christian Bell of Beaver, PA., and Linda (Riepe) and Shawn Brohl of Maumee, OH, and Dave and Naomi Riepe, Denver, CO. He was very fortunate to also have a surviving grandmother, Mary (Helisek) Taylor of Beaver Falls, PA, whom he loved dearly. Jason was dealt a horrible hand when diagnosed with glioblastoma at the end of June of this year. He faced his fate bravely, and even with laughter, all the way to the end. He was surrounded by love by so many people and in so many countless ways that his family couldn't begin to express their deep gratitude. The theme of this crisis for his family was "we can do hard things"--though for Jason it was "enjoy every sandwich."-letting go of the soul of this true gentleman was the absolute hardest thing to do. To honor his spirit: be a good person, be empathetic, and make time for family. These were Jason's strongest traits. To aid in research of this horrible disease, you may consider a donation, in his memory, to the Glioblastoma Foundation at: https://glioblastomafoundation.org/ A celebration of his life will be held for friends and family on October 22, 2022 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the HILL AND KUNSELMAN FUNERAL HOME, www.hillandkunselman.com , 3801 Fourth Avenue, Beaver Falls. All are welcome.