Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory

On Friday, August 19, 2016, Jessie Kemp Welch,  mother of Louise A. and Michael Hanlon Welch (Paige); sister of Doris Kemp Jones, Edith Kemp Bass, sister in law of James H. Welch (Sue) and R. Patrick Welch (Joan).  Memorial service Saturday, August 27, 2016, 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm at George P. Kalas Funeral Home, 2973 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater, MD. 

Jessie Kemp Welch grew up in Elizabethtown, North Carolina with seven brothers and sisters. After graduating from Elizabethtown High School, she moved to the D.C. area in the 1960’s to pursue a career in accounting and payroll at Woodward and Lothrop Department Store. This was quite a brave thing to do at that time as a single woman, and she excelled in her new role while living in her adopted home. It was while working in D.C. that she met a lifelong friend, Elsie Buess, as well as her future husband Michael Hentze Welch. The two married on June 17, 1967, and were together until his passing in 2009. They moved to Riverdale and had their two children, Louise Anne in 1969 and Michael Hanlon in 1972.  After having children, she ran a daycare in her home until her children were in high school.  She then went to work for Drug Emporium for many years and her final of employment was the Save-a-Lot Grocery Store. She had a life-long work ethic and relentless drive that she learned from her parents that made her a valued employee anywhere she worked. It was her warmth and selflessness that led to her being well loved by her bosses and coworkers.

Jessie was giving to all she met: whether they be family, friends, coworkers, or total strangers. There are people from coast to coast who have been impacted by her generosity, even if they may have played only a minor role in her life. In the 1970s, Jessie handmade doll clothes for the Salvation Army for many years and was recognized for her talent and efforts by them.  Her sewing interests included homemade Christmas ornaments that were given to teachers, neighbors and family members.  She often made Louise matching outfits for her dolls well before the popularity of American Girl dolls.  Both of her children fondly remember the many Halloween costumes that she and their father worked together to make for them.  And these are just a small example of the many things that she did that helped to make their childhoods forever remembered with happiness.

She also loved her pets. Her beloved dogs over the years, from the award-winning Lassie to her beloved Dakota and finally the rescued Bailey, were never far from her side and reflected back on her the love she had for them. She also loved her gardening, especially her azaleas and the maple tree that she planted in memory of her departed brother, Clyde Kemp. 

Jessie was the neighborhood Welcome Wagon and always went to greet new neighbors.  She was well known in the neighborhood by many and would walk her dog multiple times during the day as an opportunity to chat with all the neighbors as the neighborhood changed throughout the years.  She knew more about the neighbors and their children than anyone else in the neighborhood.  She truly cared for all of them and spoke of them often to her children.  

She was self-sufficient and continued to mow her own lawn, shovel snow, and unload bags of mulch and potting soil up until her death.  She would rarely accept offers of help, but would never hesitate to come and help others.   

She wore her emotions on her sleeve and was always vulnerable as a result. She also dealt with complications from injuries sustained in the early 1980s that would cause her to be in pain throughout the rest of her life. But throughout it all, she never failed to let those around her know how much she loved them even until her last days, through her words, her actions, and her sacrifices. Like her prized azaleas, she was able to weather the often harsh conditions around her without complaint and would then bloom with a vibrant display of affection that would leave all who were touched by it forever changed for the better.  


Jessie Kemp Welch

Jessie Kemp Welch

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