Charles Mayo “Chuck” Welch (October 12, 1957 - June 16, 2025)

Son of John S. and Unita W. Welch  

Chuck (as he was always called) was born shortly after his family had moved from

Whittier to La Cañada. His mother went back to Whittier so Dr. Mayo Smith could

deliver this baby. Chuck was given Mayo as his middle name, because of the great

esteem in which his parents held Mayo Smith. Chuck was also given Charles as his first

name, again in honor of Charles Choate, the bishop who was a very influential spiritual

leader in the family's Whittier ward in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

While he always went by his nickname, not Charles, he received a great legacy with all

his given names.

Chuck grew up in La Cañada and lived his whole life in La Cañada and La Crescenta. He

attended elementary school, junior high, and high school in La Cañada. His childhood

and teenage years had a lot of phases, as have most boys, and whatever he was

interested in at any given time, he pursued it with unrelenting passion, whether it was

experimenting with a chemistry set or making drawings worthy of Salvador Dali or

Edvard Munch. Chuck was immensely creative!

Like all of his four siblings, Chuck took piano lessons. While he did well at the keyboard,

when he was about 11 or 12, he discovered rock music. He played the drums with wild

abandon, but it was the guitar (both acoustic and electric) that seemed to speak to him

like nothing else on earth. He formed a number of bands and practiced various riffs

endlessly. Chuck put many thousands of hours into playing his guitars, writing and

recording his own songs, and looking for places to perform with whatever band he was

with at the time. He was always hopeful of hitting the big time circuit. One of his

greatest triumphs was playing a gig at The Troubador, a club in Hollywood.

As a teenager, Chuck also got into motorcycles and dirt bikes. So they could have time

together, his dad also picked up a dirt bike and they made regular trips into the Mojave

desert to ride the trails and motocross tracks there.

While Chuck didn’t care much for formal education, he worked for more than 35 years

dispatching trucks at rock and gravel plants in Irwindale and Sunland, commuting in his

pickup trucks from his home in La Crescenta for the graveyard shift for many of those

years. Through it all, he never gave up his dream of being able to perform his music

more widely and to be recognized for what he had worked toward so tirelessly.

For the last 20 years of his life his partner was Cathy Severns, a friend he had known

since high school. Together they enjoyed a quiet life, cooking and gardening, and of

course listening to music.

Chuck always marched to the beat of his own drum—quite literally. According to Google, ’To march to the beat of your own drum’ means to live your life according to your own

values, beliefs, and preferences, rather than conforming to societal expectations or

following the crowd. It emphasizes individuality, self-expression, and the courage to

pursue one's unique path.” This describes Chuck about as well as anything, and he can

be proud of his many accomplishments.

Chuck was preceded in death by his parents, John and Unita Welch, and his sister Ann

Welch Pearson. He is survived by his dear Cathy, by his two brothers Jack Welch

(Jeannie), Jim Welch (Deanne), his sister Barbara (Lew Cramer), and brother-in-law

Don Pearson (Christine), and 18 nieces and nephews. All will miss having Chuck in our

midst, but we look forward to a happy and grateful reunion on the other side!

Link to slide show of pictures of Chuck’s life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu13ty2v8os