Robert James Welch's Obituary
Obituary
Robert James Welch
6th March 1949 – 24th March 2020
Aged 71 years
Passed away suddenly at home
Beloved son of Arthur and Yvonne (both deceased)
Adored and beloved husband of Judy (deceased)
Dearly loved brother of Michael, and brother-in-law of Narelle, Jerry and Pam
Loving uncle of Phillip, David, Andrew, James, Jeri Lynne (deceased), April and Summer
Loving great uncle of Maddox, Brooke. Brewer, Christy, Tesla, Robbie, William, Carter, Lily, Anthony, Victoria, David and Joseph
Loved cousin of Rhonda, Daile, Beverley, Joanne (deceased), Carol, Anne and Colin (deceased), and Robert
Cherished and loved friend of Carrie
Robert will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him
Forever in our hearts
Eulogy
Robert James Welch … 6th March 1949 to 24th March 2020 … 71 years.
Robert was born in Crown Street Women's Hospital, Sydney, Australia to Arthur and Yvonne Welch.
He has a younger brother, Michael, and they grew up in the suburb of Sylvania Heights. Robert had a problem with his legs as a child, that required him to wear callipers for several years. They were heavy and cumbersome, and they made it difficult for him to move freely and play with other children. He was certainly very relieved when they were removed, and he didn't have to wear them anymore. Robert went on to play soccer and tennis, and it was while he was playing goal-keeper in a soccer game, that he hurt his back. That injury caused him ongoing back problems.
Robert and Michael loved spending time at their grand-parent's week-ender at Davistown, on the Central Coast north of Sydney, where they did a lot of swimming, fishing and boating. Robert enjoyed fishing, but when it came time to unpack the boat and clean the fish, he always had to urgently go to the toilet, and he wouldn't reappear until all the jobs had been done. He was always competing against Michael, and Rhonda, Daile and his younger cousins, as to who caught the biggest fish or the most fish. Robert always liked to win.
Robert attended Sylvania Heights Public School, and then Jannali Boys High School. He was an excellent student, with an almost photographic memory, but he was often in trouble at school for misbehaving in class when he was bored. Robert also had a problem with authority, and he often clashed with his father over his career and university expectations. Robert eventually ran away from home, and joined the circus for a while, where he sold fairy-floss (cotton-candy). His next career move was to join the Navy. Robert wanted to train and work in underwater clearance and demolitions, but he was slightly colour blind, with pale blues and pale greens, so he was not fit for that job. The Navy put him on sonar tracking, which Robert did not want or like, so he and the Navy parted company.
After he left the navy, Robert was working in a liquor store, and it was during this time that he took up competitive pistol shooting with Michael and his wife, Narelle. He became a Range Officer, and was very involved with the running of the pistol club. It was at a pistol club barbq that he met the love of his life, Judy. She was assigned to Australia in 1980, where she was the C.I.A. office manager in the U.S. Consulate in Sydney. Judy needed to be a member of a pistol club to be able to get a licence to keep her Smith and Wesson revolver. Robert was quite captivated by the beautiful five foot ten inch Texan and, much to his family's surprise, the devout bachelor worked up the courage to phone Judy and ask her out to dinner. To his surprise, she accepted. That was the start of their thirty five years together.
Robert found working in the liquor store boring, and working on Saturdays impacted on the time he could spend with Judy, so he looked for something more fulfilling to do. He started a computer programming course, part-time, and also drove taxis. With Judy's and Michael's financial support, Robert then studied full-time. After graduating, he quickly found employment as a programmer with Woolworths. Judy had the highest security clearance for communications at the Sydney U.S. Consulate, so naturally, her bosses were suspicious of any “aliens” that she socialised with. The first time Robert and Judy spent the weekend at Davistown with Michael and Narelle, they were followed from Sydney by a big black car with tinted windows. It followed them all the way down the narrow lane that led to the house, then slowly drove past the house, turned around, and slowly drove away.
In 1982, Robert and Judy holidayed in El Paso, and he met her family. When they returned to Australia, they discussed what they were going to do in 1984, when Judy's time in Sydney was up. They decided to get married and return to the US, and live there for as long as Judy's mother was alive, and then return to Australia. Ever the romantic, the proposal went something like …
Robert ~ “I guess we better get married!”, … Judy ~ “Why not!”
Judy told her boss and, as expected, he instigated security checks on Robert. Judy later told him that her bosses were concerned because Australian, American and International agencies had nothing on him, that he was too clean, and that made them suspicious. Deeper checks still found nothing, and, in the end, approval was given for them to marry.
Robert and Judy were married on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1983, in the garden area at the U.S. Consul General's residence overlooking Sydney Harbour. It was a beautiful day, and the perfect setting for a wedding. They honeymooned at Airlie Beach in Queensland, which is inside the Great Barrier Reef, and Robert taught Judy how to snorkel, despite her strong dislike of having her head under water.
Judy's tour ended, and they returned to the U.S. in April 1984. They spent time in El Paso, and then a week in Washington D.C. While Judy spent every day at the C.I.A.'s Langley office, Robert toured the museums and galleries. Robert was always very interested in art, and he used to paint as a hobby. They arrived in Houston, Texas, on June 6, 1984, and Robert found a computer programmer position with Valic, an American General subsidiary. Judy and Robert renewed their close friendship with Henrietta, who Judy had worked with in the Sydney office. They often visited each other, and Henrietta became a mother figure to them both. Judy was scheduled to be transferred to Boston in 1986, but she decided that she didn't want to live there, and she left the C.I.A. They moved into their Pearland home in August 1986.
Robert and Judy's dream of returning to Australia to live did not eventuate, but they did return for a long holiday in 1999. Before Robert met Judy, he wasn't very adventurous with food. He wouldn't eat anything that was green, he liked his steaks well done, and he didn't like spicy food. Judy educated him … he would eat what she served up, started eating his steaks rare, and developed a liking for spicy food. Robert and Judy loved visits from their Australian family, and they were excellent and generous hosts. Robert returned to Australia in 2004 for a few weeks, so that he could spend time with his father before he died, and to be there for the funeral.
Judy had various health problems from 2002 to 2013. After her knee operation in 2013, they thought that she had beaten and recovered from everything, and now was their time to travel and grow old together. Robert retired in 2014, but cruelly, Judy was diagnosed with brain cancer, and she passed away on August 15, 2015. A part of Robert died that day, as Judy was his world, and he was lost without her. His loneliness was only broken by visits and phone calls from his family and Carrie (who is honorary family). Carrie is, to quote Robert “the daughter they never wanted”. Her visits, help and phone calls meant the world to him. In 2018, Robert joined Michael, Narelle, David, Leigh, Maddox and Brooke for a holiday in New Braunfels, Texas. He had a wonderful time with his family, and especially his great nephew and great niece, and he did things that he had never done before. He actually bought his first pair of board-shorts, so that he could swim with the children. He went rafting on the Comal River, went on water-slides and the lazy-river at Schlitterbahn, visited Gruene, and went to Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. Robert was not really comfortable around young children, but Maddox and Brooke adored him. They would “bomb” him in the pool, and Brooke would climb up on his lap to snuggle, which both horrified and delighted Robert. The first time she did this, he looked very surprised, and said … “What's going on? I think my mojo's broken!”.
Robert was funny, generous, extremely intelligent, a good listener, and the most organised person you could meet. He used to joke around with his nephews when they were little, and they never knew if he was being serious. They would often ask if Uncle Robert was lying, and the stock standard answer was always … “Were his lips moving?” Everyone who knew Robert has been on the receiving end of his quick wit.
He hated the fact that, even after he had lived in the U.S. for thirty six years, people could not understand him when he ordered food or drinks in restaurants and bars. He always had Judy order for him.
Robert lived his life according to the words of Clint Eastwood … “A man's gotta know his limitations”! He was always saying it, and it got him out of doing a lot of things around the house.
Robert was loved, admired and respected by all who knew him. His gruff exterior did not fool anyone, and he will be sorely missed.
Forever in our hearts.
Reunited with Judy.
What’s your fondest memory of Robert?
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