Jerry F. Welch

Jerry F. Welch, age 78, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, October 2nd, 2023 in Billings, Montana. He is preceded in death by his mother, Avis, his younger brother Jim, and his lifelong friend and father figure, Clovis. Jerry was born on October 23rd, 1944 in Ironton, Missouri. After watching the 1963 film Spencer’s Mountain, he fell in love with the American West. In 1989, he met his best friend and the love of his life, Carrie, and within three months they were married. In 1992, the two packed their bags and achieved his dream of moving to Montana. In 1996, after a discussion with his wife in which she very specifically told him not to buy a house in Ennis, he bought a house in Ennis. With Jerry’s eternal and unrealistic optimism and Carrie’s ability to spin straw into gold, the two built a life and a family in the Madison Valley for nearly thirty years. Jerry was a man of many hats — literally and figuratively. Over the years, he was a state legislator in Missouri, a private investigator, a high school history teacher (we would be remiss if we did not note that he was the favorite teacher of famous actress Kate Capshaw), a basketball coach, a surprising Twitter influencer, a writer and columnist, a so-so fly fisherman (his words) and a commodity broker. He was a lifelong Democrat — and proud of it — calling politics “the best ball game in town.” He often told his family to “take politics seriously, but never personally.” But more than anything, Jerry was the best husband, father, and grandfather any of us could have ever asked for. He was a man with a kind and gentle heart who adored his family beyond words — and we’re talking about a man who was fantastic with words. He would have lassoed the moon and brought it down for us if we would have asked. If Jerry loved you, there wasn’t a moment that went by when you didn’t know how lucky you were. Words cannot express the loss we are feeling over the greatest man we knew. Jerry is survived by his wife, Carrie, his son Jeff (Kelly), his daughters, Jennifer (Christian), Ally, and Sam, and his granddaughters, Adelle, Scarlett, Elsa, and Mira — or, as he would put it, all of his huckleberries. We will be forever grateful — you went soaring into the heavens in peace and without pain. We will love you until the end of time.