Mrs. Sarah Cook Welch

Sarah Cook Welch, 90 went to be with her heavenly Lord on Thursday, September 20, 2018, in Augusta, Georgia after a brief illness. Graveside services will be held at 3:00 pm Sunday, September 23, 2018, in Bethlehem Cemetery, 110 Pinchum Sly Rd., Bishopville, SC. Her son, the Reverend Bert Welch will officiate. Brown-Pennington-Atkins and Hancock-Elmore-Hill are serving the family. Sarah was born on September 25, 1927, in Bishopville, SC as the only child of Emma Theo Woodham Cook and Dan Rushston Cook. Sarah graduated from Bishopville High School in 1944. At Columbia College, a Methodist women’s college in Columbia, SC, she majored in Bible/Religious Education with a minor in English as well as completion of the business courses. During WW2 she began a friendly correspondence with a Bishopville Marine serving in the Pacific named Hubert Welch. They married June 21, 1947. Their 55-year marriage was filled with many memories with neighbors on Richardson Circle, an annual 4th of July fish fry, morning coffee, playing bridge, family vacations and trips to the beach and mountains as well as service in the schools, community and her church while they raised their three children. Sarah loved being a ‘stay at home’ mom for 24 years. After the last child left for college, she used her love of numbers, detail oriented note-taking skills, and talent for organization to begin teaching taxes and later as office manager for a 5-physician medical practice. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Hartsville and then Covenant Baptist Church in Lancaster. Sarah taught Sunday school for 60 years. Together they taught their children the love of our Heavenly Father, family, and community. After living in Hartsville for over 50 years, they moved to Lancaster to a small wooded home and loved being near Bert and Susan. Hubert died in 2002 and subsequently, Sarah lived alone for 15 years. In 2017, she moved to Augusta 2017 to be near her middle daughter, Gayle. Sarah was a true friend to many and she never met a stranger. She is remembered for her soft-spoken manner, soft smile and a sneaky sense of humor. She loved history, preserving memories and old-fashioned traditions. She was always a great resource to talk about the past and as a proud member of the ‘greatest generation’. As a gift to her family, Sarah wrote a book about her life, The Way We Were as well as other books of her ancestry and treasured memories. Sarah was beloved by her family and friends and will be missed by all who knew her. Surviving are her three children, Susan (Michael) Plunkett of Lancaster, SC; Gayle (Craig) Bentley of Augusta, GA; Bert (Kathy) Welch of Goose Creek, SC. Sarah has seven grandchildren, Brian (Tiffany) Plunkett, Laura Plunkett, Brooke (Eric) Main, Lauren (Tim) Maddux, Collin Bentley, Hugh (Mandy) Welch, and Sarah Anne (Shaun) Daley as well as 12 great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Connie Maxwell Children’s Home (https://www.conniemaxwell.com) an organization she and Hubert sponsored for many years or the charity of your choice.

Tributes

Mrs. Sarah Cook Welch

September 25, 1927 - September 20, 2018