Adele Welsh

Adele passed away peacefully surrounded by her family October 11, 2013. She was born July 18, 1950 to Adelaide Whipple and James Freeman in Salt Lake City. She attended West High School, class of 68, where she majored in the 60s and rock and roll. She could be found hanging out at Sugarhouse Park or attending concerts at Lagoon, the Dirt Palace, the Terrace Ballroom and the Salt Palace. She was known then by the nickname, “Dingo,” because her favorite Beatle was Ringo. Later, the nickname changed to “Deli.” A large part of her always remained that 60s flower child.
She moved to Denver in 1972 and that is where she met her soul mate and best friend Stan. They were married in 1975 and settled in West Valley to raise their 2 daughters. Missy and Jenni were always her proudest achievement. They loved traveling and camping, going to concerts and doing things with their friends. Once the girls were grown, they went on several cruises to Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada.
Adele was an amazing people person, with a magnetic personality. She made new friends constantly and stayed close with her old friends from childhood and high school. She enjoyed being around large groups of people. A friend once said, “Anytime you were around her, you felt more alive.” Her house was always the gathering place for all of Missy’s and Jenni’s friends, many of whom thought of Adele as their 2nd mom.
Her true gift was with kids. She worked 30 years at Robert Frost Elementary School as an aide and substitute teacher where she touched the lives of innumerable children. To her, working with kids was never a job, but a calling. She did it not for the money but for the hugs. She had a natural ability to meet kids on their level and make them feel important. She taught them Beatles songs and talked to them about peace and love.
She is survived by her husband Stan, and daughters Missy (Ben) Gowans and Jennifer (Ronnie) Nicholls; her five precious grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She is also survived by all those who thought of her as their 2nd mother, sister, aunt or daughter. She is preceded in death by her parents, brothers: Jim and Steve, and sister, Jeri.
A celebration of her life will be held at Redwood Mortuary, 6500 So. Redwood Road, on Tuesday, October 15 at 7:00 p.m. Memorial services will be Wednesday, October 16, 11:00 am at Taylorsville 25th Ward, 4505 South 3420 West. Internment will be at Redwood Memorial Park. Donations are welcome to the Juvenile Diabetic Research Foundation.