June 20, 1938 - March 1, 2019
With sadness, we announce the passing of Griff Welsh, a dedicated and loving husband and our much-loved dad and grandfather, on March 1, 2019. He was 80 years old.
Griff was born June 20, 1938, in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, to Luella and Louis Welsh. Although he was an only child, he was very close to his cousins, growing up with them on "the farm" in the Ottawa Valley, a place that remained close to his heart all his life.
Griff and Deanna settled in Burlington Ontario, where they raised their family and were the proud owners of Mount Royal Hardware. They retired to Montrose in 1998, though that didn't mean slowing down. He quickly became part of the community, serving as a Montrose village councilor and mayor. He often wore several other hats as well. As a long-time volunteer with the Beaver Valley Nitehawks, he and Deanna welcomed several young players into their home over the years, and Griff could regularly be found organizing the concession and cheering on the team.
In recent years, he worked hard caring for Deanna, who passed away in 2017 and could also often be found taking in a Nitehawks game, visiting with friends at the Fruitvale Pub, keeping up to date on current events and his favourite sports or spending time with his young grandchildren.
He was always ready to strike up a conversation and thanks to his time "in politics," as he liked to say, he was a familiar, friendly face in the Beaver Valley.
Griff was predeceased by his son, Tyler; his parents, Luella and Louis; and his wife, Deanna. He is survived by his children, Tracey (Al), Miles (Debbie), Mason (Cori), and Dana (Jordan), "Uncle" Chris, Michael and his grandchildren, Megan, Ben, Emma, Sam, Sloan, Hudson, and Harrison.
As an expression of sympathy your donations made in Griff's name to the Trail United Way http://uwtraildistrict.org/ would be greatly appreciated.
We loved Griff very much and invite you to join us in a celebration of his life at the Fruitvale Hall on Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 12 pm. Gwen Ziprick of Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Services has been entrusted with the arrangements. You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence by visiting the family's register at www.myalternatives.ca.
