April 28, 1930 – March 14, 2025
Judy Merritt Pratt Welch of Carbondale, Colorado, passed away peacefully on March 14, 2025, at Heritage Park. Judy was born April 28, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to Colonel Merritt Pratt and Juanita (Mitchell) Pratt.
Judy was married to the late Walter Welch for almost 40 years before his passing in 1997. They were both members of Sports Car Club of America in the 1950s and at one of the race car rallies, Walter found himself without a navigator. A friend introduced him to Judy. They won the race and the rest, as they say, is history.
They moved to Carbondale in 1972 from their home in Des Moines, Iowa. Judy became an active member of the community; she volunteered at the Near New in Carbondale and the Aspen Thrift Store, she was a volunteer at Mountain Fair, a contributing member of the Thunder River Theatre Company, sat on the board of the Colorado Rocky Mountain School, was a member of the Rebekah’s and was once named Carbondale’s “Woman of the Year.” In addition, she became an accomplished interior designer at Walter Welch Interiors.
She is survived by her two children, Tod Welch of Carbondale and Dana Welch of Denver, and their respective spouses, Bonnie Welch and Zaher Bou Hassoun. She is survived by her two granddaughters, Morgan Welch (Mark Pinter) and Kaitlyn Welch (Ryan Moreau) and her great granddaughter, Makiya Moreau. She is also survived by additional family of her choosing: Cathy Crenshaw of Cedaredge, Joshua Thompson of Lyons, the Iannios Family of Marble and the sister she never had, Emma Danciger, of Carbondale.
Everyone who knew Judy knew about her love of books and art.
Donations can be made to the Wish You Well Foundation that supports adult and family literacy in the United States, www.wishyouwellfoundation.org, or to your local library.