Virginia Welch

Virginia Louise Player Welch, died peacefully in her sleep on September 26, 2024, in Atlanta, Ga. Born in Wheaton, Illinois, on April 26, 1929, to the late Marian Lake and John M. Player, she was the oldest daughter and second of five children in her family. Jinny, as she was known, attended elementary and high school in Warrenville and Wheaton, Ill. She graduated as a voice major from the University of Illinois. In 1951, she married William G. Welch, and they lived for a time in Winnetka, Ill., where she taught junior high music in the public schools there. In 1953, they moved to Atlanta, Ga., where Bill began work at Atlanta Solvents & Chemical Company. Jinny was a long-time member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Ga., where she sang in the choir under the direction of Adele Dieckmann McKee and Norman Mackenzie. She was a 75-year member of Delta Gamma sorority and served on Panhellenic at Emory University. She was an avid golfer and enjoyed playing at Cherokee Town and Country Club. She loved gardening and growing flowers and was a Master Gardener and founding member of the Soil Sisters. She was a devoted volunteer and served as a Girl Scout leader, a Cub Scout den mother, and welcome ambassador for various dignitaries from Asia during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. She worked with Tour Gals in Atlanta, providing tours of the city for convention-goers both in the United States and in destinations in Europe. She loved to sew and made countless bears for new babies who came into her circle. She and “Bill” loved to travel and enjoyed exploring spots around the world. After retirement, they enjoyed spending time at their home in DeBordieu, S.C., where she loved water aerobics, playing golf, the garden club and watching the sunset on the beach. Her children and grandchildren remember her as a mom and grandmother who loved to have fun, whether renting a limousine or taking the elevator to the top of Atlanta’s downtown buildings. She made countless elaborate Halloween costumes over the years, including some for dogs. Jinny’s brothers, John M. and Paul Edward Player, and her sister, Mildred Ann Anliker, predeceased her. Her sister, Lora Lee Buchta of Boston, Mass., survives her. She is also survived by her children, Martha Wilson (Hank) of Columbus, OH; Mary Ann Stewart (Scott) of Alpharetta, GA.; Melissa Carter (Sandy) of Big Canoe, GA; and Thomas H. Welch of Roswell, GA. She is survived as well by her grandchildren, Jac Carrington (Bett) of Camden, SC; Caroline Witcher (Andrew) of Roswell, GA; Hunter Wilson (Kathryn) of Windsor, CO; Katie Joyner (Greg) of Roswell GA; Allison Noblett (Ben) of Bluffton, SC; Emily Simmons of Westerville, OH; Jay Stewart (Maggie) of Roswell GA; Spencer Welch of Woodstock GA; Annie Wilson of Columbus, OH, and Thomas Welch (Gabriela) of Bozeman, MT. She is also survived by 16 great-grandchildren: Jac IV, Davis, Parks and Hank Carrington; Kennedy and Karter Witcher; Abigail and Ellie Wilson; Wesley and Griffin Joyner; Knox Noblett; Elliot and Edison Simmons and Collier, Hayden and Sawyer Stewart. She is also survived by former daughter-in-law Deborah Welch Douthit (Jerry) of Woodstock, GA, and former son-in-law Allen (Cindy) Carrington, of Cumming, GA. Services will be held on Friday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. Those who wish may donate to Trees Atlanta, ATTN: Giving, 825 Warner Street, SW, Suite A, Atlanta, GA 30310, or Trinity Presbyterian Church,3003 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30327 designated to the Adele McKee Music Fund. Arrangements being handled by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors. https://www.northsidechapel.com/

Virginia Welch

April 26, 1929 - September 26, 2024