Lela Frances Johnson Welch, died on January 11, 2023, in Tulsa, OK. Viewing will be from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Wednesday, January 18, 2023. A Funeral Ceremony will be held at 2:00 PM, Thursday, January 19, 2023, with Reverends Lois and Francis Barley officiating. Burial will immediately follow at Resthaven Memorial Park. Arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Crematory, 505 W. Grand Ave, Ponca City, OK, 74601.

Lela was born in Maramec, OK, on April 21, 1930, to Reverend Fred L. and Dana L. (Travelstead) Johnson. Her father was a United Brethren minister and her mother, a school teacher. Both of them were from families homesteading in the Guymon, OK, area. Lela Frances went by Lela growing up, but chose to go by Frances as an adult.

Frances was the fourth of six children. The family moved often due to her parents ministries. After a year in Maramec, the family moved to Bartlesville, OK. She also lived in Shawnee, Woodward, Enid, and Dacoma, OK. Frances moved to Ponca City to live with her sister, Ivy, before her senior year. She graduated from Ponca City High School in 1948.

On August 29, 1948, Frances married Leroy Edwin Welch. Leroy came from a long line of brick and stone masons. Leroy built their beloved home, which was to be their lifelong residence, a block North of the Ponca City High School Stadium. Frances and Leroy’s honeymoon was in Colorado. The couple would return here for future trips. They both loved the beauty and majesty of the mountains.

Frances and Leroy loved teaching children’s Sunday School together at Albright United Methodist Church. With her family, she enjoyed community concerts and trips to Oklahoma City and Tulsa for cultural events.

In the 1970’s, Frances became interested in fitness and health. She worked out and took belly dancing classes at the local YMCA. Frances enjoyed reading about homeopathic and other alternative medical treatments. She loved spending time with her brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews at the Johnson Farm near Guymon. Frances enjoyed fashion and design. She was known for her impeccable taste in interior design and dress.

Frances was a caregiver for her husband until his death in January 2016. She and Leroy liked to recycle so as to “save the planet”. They watched worship services on TV. Frances also had a great compassion for the disadvantaged and the poor.

Frances was preceded in death by her parents, husband, three brothers, two sisters and their spouses. She is survived by: her three children, Jay Welch, Dana E. Whitsitt and Fred H. Welch; two grandsons, Chad Whitsitt and Brad Whitsitt; one brother-in-law, Lloyd Welch; four greatgrandchildren and four step great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews, and friend, Nancy Moore.

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