Remembering Becky Welker

Hi, I’m Becky Welker’s youngest son, and I am helping my family put together this fundraiser in her honor.

Becky completed our family. She is the woman that brought our family another sibling, raising the already staggeringly high number of 7 kids, to a more perfect, even number, 8. The addition of Becky and her daughter Shelby to the Welker Clan brought a special light to our lives, but especially for our dad. She means the world to him. She made sure to get to know all 7 of his kids as best as she could, making sure we each had our own special dessert for our birthdays, and including us in her own family traditions like her love for coca-cola, Christmas, and the Tennessee Vols.

Their story really gets its start in a humble cornfield in rural Maryland, where, after a funny mixup, they proclaimed before God their love for each other and were bound together in marriage. Since that day, they moved a few times, with their life taking them to Massachusetts before finally settling down in her hometown of New Market, Tennessee. After Dad, Becky, and Shelby returned home to Tennessee, we were able to seamlessly blend the Graves and the Welker families together. Just like the Welker family readily accepted Becky and Shelby into our lives, the Graves family welcomed all 7 of us Welker Kids with open arms.

Her exuberant, boisterous personality allowed her to make friends anywhere her feet took her. No matter where Becky lived, she was able to set down roots and make lifelong friendships. Her dedication to her faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and her commitment to her church community and her family was cherished by everyone who had the fortune to meet her. If she found out someone in the church or the family needed something, she made sure they got it. She was always quick to offer help, and never asked for anything in return. And if she helped you in any way, you were now part of the family. From being a mom for Missionaries who were far from home to helping the children in Primary in her local church Ward, Becky was known for her kind, compassionate soul wrapped up in a big Southern personality.

She loved being around people, hosting a game of Runs and Bunches, participating in one church project or another. But above all else, she loved her kids, all 8 of us, with every bit of her being. Unfortunately, the brightest stars often burn twice as fast, and she was called home too soon. She did not go without a fight. Over the last couple years, she had suffered from various ailments and was in and out of the hospital. Even with complications from diabetes, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, and most recently congestive heart failure, she refused to be held down and continued to prove her commitment to her church and her family. But in the end, God needed one of his best angels to return and continue the work in Heaven.

With her passing, our family is faced with some challenges. It is not like Becky to ask for anything, and knowing her she is likely going to haunt us for even asking. But anyone who knows Becky, knows she has so much gratitude for anyone who is able to help her loved ones.

With her recent health complications, we do not know the extent of the medical costs Dad and Becky have incurred, but we know that is something our father will have to handle. We would like him to not have to worry about this burden. We also know burials and funerals cost a significant amount of money, which adds to the already lofty price of saying goodbye to our loved ones. We also would like, for the first time in nearly 20 years, to have all 8 of her kids together. The Welker Family is spread far and wide across the nation, as far west as Idaho and Utah, south to Texas, and east to Maryland and Delaware. We would like to help pay for travel costs for her children and grandchildren to be able to make it to say our final goodbye and cover expenses from anyone who had to miss work to fulfill Becky's final wishes: seeing her family reunited under the same roof.

We know this is a steep ask, and we understand not everyone can give. If you have ever been blessed by Becky’s loving light, we humbly ask for your help.