Obituary of Kenneth R. Welcome

Dateline: Town of Wilton, NY Name of Deceased: Kenneth R. Welcome Kenneth R. Welcome passed away May 10, 2023 in Saratoga, following complications from a fall. He was 93. Ken was born Dec. 8, 1929 in Greenfield, MA, the youngest of four children born to Rose and Edward Welcome. His childhood was shaped by the depression and his teen years by World War II: Roosevelt declared war on Japan on his 12th birthday and both of his brothers served oversees. He graduated from Greenfield High School in 1947 and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst for two years before enlisting in the Air Force in early 1951. He married Alice Engelhard on August 25, 1951. He was posted to England a few months later, where his wife followed, and their first child was born in England days after the Killer Smog of 1952. Ken joined General Electric in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1955, graduated from the GE manufacturing apprentice course in 1958, and transferred to the GE Large Generator division in Schenectady in 1969. He retired from GE in 1989. He always loved being outdoors. Ken and Alice took their kids hiking, camping, and tobogganing and picking wild blueberries and worked with the boys on their scouting activities. After retiring he became a serious bicyclist, riding over a thousand miles each year up to age 89. His typical bike ride was 16-18 miles in Saratoga County. He was also a competitive ping-pong and card player. Ken was predeceased by his parents and siblings and by two children, Daniel and Rita. He is survived by Alice, his wife of 71 years, and by his children Mary (Ed), Judy (Jerry), Ed (Erin) and Tom. He also leaves eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren Services will be held at St Clement's Church on Lake Avenue in Saratoga on May 17 at 9:30 am, followed by burial at St. Peter's Cemetery on West Avenue. Arrangements by Wilton Funeral Home For directions visit us at www.mevecfuneralhome.com.