Royce Timothy Welch, Sr., 85, met his Savior face to face on January 22, 2026, at Forrest General Hospital. He was born to John Franklin (Doc) Welch and Eula Mae Thames Welch on July 12, 1940, at Magee General Hospital.
He met the love of his life, Linda King, while working at Universal in 1970. Five months later, they married. In 2025, they celebrated 55 years together.
The baby of the Welches, he was preceded in death by his parents and all eight of his siblings. He was also preceded in death by three of his King brothers-in-law and sister-in-law.
Royce was the father to Tim Welch of Magee, MS; Donna Welch Davis of Magee, MS; Bill Welch (Sherrie) of Scottsboro, AL; Bob Welch (Missy) of Rosharon, TX; and Ashley Welch Patterson (Wes) of Sumrall, MS. He was the proud papaw to numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren and a loving uncle to an abundance of nieces and nephews.
He is survived by his wife Linda, five children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, brother-in-law Roger King (Pam), sisters-in-law Lisa King and Lainey King, and special friend Steve Newell (Bebe).
Royce was a 1959 graduate of Magee High School. Always a Trojan, he enjoyed playing football for Magee and cheering on the Trojans when his sons played football and his daughter played trumpet in the band. He never missed a game while his kids were at Magee.
A patriot at heart, he was honorably discharged from the Army after serving for ten years. He loved God and country and never met a stranger.
He held many jobs throughout his life. Royce worked at a grocery store while living in Arizona. Back in Mississippi, he was a door-to-door water purifier salesman. Royce was well-known for being a supervisor at Universal, where he met his wife. After working at the plant, he and his wife Linda ran Strutters Fried Chicken for 19 years. Everyone in Magee knew him for his delicious fried chicken and were saddened when it closed in July 1995. For over 40 years, he was a bail bondsman. He wrote bonds for Magee, Mendenhall, Simpson County, Covington County, Rankin County, and Smith County.
He loved to fish and would invite everybody he met to go fishing. He enjoyed picking blueberries and pears from his garden to give away to the community. You could always find him in the kitchen cooking for others. His specialty was baking cakes and pies. He enjoyed growing fruits and vegetables, as well as flowers. He had the biggest green thumb.
A deacon of New Bethlehem Baptist Church, he loved his church family. He did not miss church unless he was sick or in the hospital. He was always telling others about Jesus and inviting them to church. Church and family get togethers at the pond were some of his most favorite times.
He’s now spending eternity in Heaven, a place he always longed to go to. His motto was: “I was born to serve the Lord!” You can join him in Heaven if you know, love, and follow Jesus!
His service was held January 27 at New Bethlehem Baptist Church. His final resting place is in the Welch Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Lucas Sistrunk, Justin Griffith, Elijah Welch, Halston Welch, Jerry Wells, and James King.
