Tribute to Larry Welch

larry welch

Larry would always come to choir rehearsal first and chew the fat with me about Life, school, family and our plans for the Camino and the choir.  He always was ready to help with whatever needed to be done. His humor and his great kindness are what stand out to me. Kindness is a great aspect of Larry but not all of whom he interacted with got to see that side of him, but I did and that was a real gift.  Our voice lessons were such fun with lots of laughter.  I didn’t know then what I know now that those would be my greatest moments with Larry. Not what we were going to do but what were in that moment doing. I did take those moments for granted as though our time would last far beyond that time then. But, alas, we are in a whirlwind of change and life happens in a moment. We were caught unaware but at the same time true to our being. Just as on the Camino.
The Camino is a river, a river of humanity that flows in one direction. One is a leaf that blows around on the river because a leaf on the water is like a sailboat with no ruder so the leaf is at the mercy of the wind wandering free. So you may meet people that you walk with for a while and then you part, then a week later you see them again and it is a reunion and then you part and so it goes. We all are flowing in one direction, our time is our moment. Larry and I spoke of this often and I am so very grateful that he shared his life moments with me. I now think that these moments were as though we were actually experiencing a kind of Camino or journey together then.

Dawn, you Erin and Haley are courage in action. He was a force of nature that then has to live through all of us. He and I had such great times during voice lessons and Roger Anderson Chorale rehearsals and church choir rehearsals, at school every time we parted we would always say “Love you” and it was so true. I loved him as though he were my only brother. He loved our choir and it gave him such joy and that was a  great gift for me and that we also gave him; the list is endless. The practical jokes the insane intensity. He was the life of our Chorale. I cannot imagine for a second your pain but know this, he has made a great and lasting imprint on us and the world and for that I am grateful to him “My Brother”….To share life with someone is a great gift because time is really all there is and when someone gives their time it is more than all the riches of the earth. We gave each other that. Like the Camino de Santiago.

I am also a visual artist and I used to frame my originals and put them up, but, over time they started to fade badly. I got the Idea to get professional photos done and make prints of the original because the print ink was archival Ink and would last forever. Larry was an original and was every bit of that but then he faded way too soon. As we go through life However his imprint has been printed on all of our hearts. And because he touched us all so deeply, this print is permanent.  A print that will last forever. So as we now pray to God for safe passage for Larry I would also ask God for a few things: One: remove all breakables from Heaven: Two have plenty of yearbook coloring books which Chris Demcak knows what I mean, and Three: decorate heaven with lots of, SAY IT, ORANGE Amen!!!!!!!!…

Much Love Always,

Roger