Obituary of Mark Welsch

Mark Joseph Welsch, much loved by his family and friends, passed away on Saturday, September 10, 2011. He was 16 years old. Mark had been a lifelong resident of Burlington. He attended Pine Glen Elementary School, Marshall Simonds Middle School, and was currently a Junior at Burlington High School. He was a member of the Burlington High Wrestling Team, wrestling in the 135 lb. weight class. He treasured the sport and the bond with his teammates. Over the years, he also participated in Soccer, Baseball and Pop Warner and High School Football. Mark's passing leaves a deep void in the hearts of his family, friends, and fellow students at Burlington High. His family asks all to remember Mark for his friendships, concern for others, love of family, and his unique humor and wit. Mark was the beloved son of Cooki (Kekejian) and Michael Welsch of Burlington. He was the brother of Ashley and Michael of Burlington. He was the nephew of Michael, Regina, Joe, & Jan Kekejian all of Burlington, Cindy & Barry Kelly of Centerville, Linda & Joe Minarik of Osterville and the late Paul Welsch and great nephew of Gregory & Joyce Kekejian of Fort Myers, Florida. He was the cousin of Paul Kekejian of Somerville, Michael and Kevin Kekejian of Burlington, and Amanda & David Minarik. He was also survived many friends and classmates. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington on Friday, Sept. 16 at 8:45 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret's Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Thursday from 4-8 p.m. Additional parking with shuttle transportation will be offered at St. Margaret's Church during the visiting hours. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Mark's name may be made to the Burlington Community Scholarship Fund, attention Deborah Keene, 29 Center Street, Burlington, MA 01803. Eulogy by Uncle Joe Usually introduce myself as Joe Kekejian. For this past difficult week, I've simply thought of myself as Uncle Joey. Attempting to get through this terrible time, I have been remembering the young man who was my nephew, my friend, and a wonderful and loving part of our family and community. As a family we have been very lucky. Both my sister and brother also live in Burlington. Because of that, we, and our spouses, have been very much a part of each others lives. Mark liked it when he could call several relatives to find a ride somewhere; he didn't like it so much to have all those extra eyes on his activities. The cousins, our children, have always been an important part of each other's lives. Mark and my youngest son, Kevin, were only about a year apart in age, so Mark spent many nights at my home and went on family vacations with us on a regular basis. My wife, Jan, and I have always considered Cooki and Mike's children as an extension of our own. Mark had a very special relationship with my brother, Mickey, his wife Jeannie and her sister Kathy. Jeannie and Mark formed a very special connection from the time he was just baby to the day of his death. It is rare that you see that strong of a bond between an aunt and nephew. If you knew the Welsch children you knew how close they were. The very day of Mark's accident, Ashley was allowing him to drive all around testing his abilities on highways and back roads. He was very excited to be getting his license soon and Ashley took the time to give him as much time behind the wheel as possible. Ashley knows that her final moments with her brother were spent doing her best to make him happy. Mark was also very close with his brother, Michael. Mark and Michael were more than brothers - they were friends. As athletes, they both encouraged each other and competitively challenged each other. I know that Michael misses his brother with all his heart. Mark's father Mike was a true inspiration to his son. Mike made some bad decisions as a youth which cost him his leg. Instead of attempting to hide the circumstances of his injury from his children, Mike shared his experiences not only with his kids but with others as well. Mike and the children often went away for camping and fishing trips. Although Mike tells me that fish were very rarely caught. While most of us dads are trying to squeeze in a few minutes here and there to catch up with our kids, Mike was able to sit with them for days a time. Learning about them. Enjoying them. Being with them Mark simply adored my sister Cooki. It was impossible for him to leave her for even a short period of time without kissing or hugging her. Mark never held back the affection he felt for his mother. My heart breaks for my sister. I know how much she loves her children and how much she is missing Mark. There is an incredibly special bond between the two of them which will never be broken. As a family, we have been humbled by the supportive response from Mark's friends, the high school, and the entire community. Our combined family has raised children who have won awards, been written up in the paper (and in a good way) and have been basically well known and accomplished kids. It is easy to jump on that bandwagon. But now that we have lost a child the community continues to support us every step of the way during these difficult times. The high school administrators, teachers, and guidance counselors have not stopped in their efforts to not only support our family in every way, but also to make sure Mark's friends receive the guidance and counseling they need. His teammates and coaches have faced this very sad time as a unit. They have come together to assist each other and our family to try and make things easier. Last year Mark won the coaches award in wrestling. His coach tells me that one of the reasons was for Mark's &quote;reliability&quote;. Not a word you often hear associated with teens. Mark loved wrestling - and he loved his teammates. It is very hard to try and make sense of a senseless accident. We know that Mark's friends, teammates, and classmates are going through a very difficult time. You have given of yourself as a community, a school system, a team, a neighbor, a friend. We will be forever grateful. I would like to make sure you know that Mark's parents made the very difficult and courageous decision to donate all of Mark's organs. Right now, there could be individuals who are alive because they have been gifted with one of Mark's organs. Or there could be a university or laboratory which will discover a cure for a dreaded disease because they have been gifted with Mark's tissues. His death could save lives, sustain lives, cure disease, or even allow a future president to be born. I know that the young people of Mark's age are having a very difficult time understanding why this has happened to such a happy and well-loved person. I can't answer that for you. But it may make it a little easier to bear if you think of the good that could possibly come about in the future because of Mark. Above all, we need to remember that Mark will always be living in the hearts and minds of the family and friends he has left behind. Mark will be with all of us forever.