Mercedes (Leesa) Joann Welch, 93, passed peacefully at home on February 7, 2023. She was born on December 27, 1929 in La Crosse to Almore and Clara Norby. Mercedes grew up the seventh of ten children in Stoddard Wisconsin. She attended Aquinas High School, graduating in 1948. She was employed at Micro-Cards in La Crosse until her marriage to Donald Charles Welch in 1950. Together they raised five children, Kathleen, Barbara, Donald, Timothy and Terrance at the house they built at the foot of Granddad Bluff.

Always the “river rats”, they moved to a home on Cat Gut Slough where they spent over 30 years before Don’s passing in 2012. Mercedes and Don enjoyed the river, wildlife, sunsets and entertaining family and friends in their home, on the beach, on the dock or on the water. She was a wonderful grandmother to her two grandsons. Later, after she won a Caribbean cruise in a grocery store contest, Don and Leesa became avid travelers, enjoying adventures and casinos on much bigger waters.

Mercedes, always known as Leesa to family and friends, was known for her generosity of spirit, her delicately handcrafted embroidery she gifted to many, and for her great gift of letter writing. Her beautiful hand-written cards and letters detailed precious ties with friends, family and neighbors. She was also an avid reader and journalist with decades of daily notes on anything from weather, bills, birds and water levels.

Mercedes is survived by her daughters Kathleen West, of Checotah, OK and Barbara Mason, of La Crosse, WI; son Donald (Connie) M Welch, of La Crosse, WI; Son-in-law Andy Welch: grandsons Brandon (Tiffany) Welch and Eric Welch (Jessica Wartenweiler): great granddaughter Presley; and sisters Bernadine Voss and Arlene Johnston

She was proceeded in death by her husband Donald and her two sons Timothy and Terrance and son-in-law Jim Mason.

We want to give a special thanks to the caring staff at Saint Croix Hospice, and to Leesa’s daughter Barbara and great neighbors Mary, Cathy, Terri and Karen, and all the loving nieces and nephews that reached out.

A funeral Mass will be held at The Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman Church in the Marian Chapel, 530 Main St., La Crosse, on March 10^th at 10:00 a.m. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. with a luncheon after the Mass. Interment will be held at Catholic Cemetery. Condolences may be left at couleecremation.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman or Saint Croix Hospice.