LANCASTER, SC – Mr. Billy Charles Welch, 92, died peacefully on July 6, 2026. Born in Bladenboro, NC, on September 12, 1933, he was the son of the late Ernest Levi and Mary Thelma McClain Welch. Mr. Welch graduated from Bladenboro High School, where he was a gifted three-sport athlete. He was married to Martha Lee Hedgepeth Welch for 68 years prior to her death in 2021.

After graduating from high school, Mr. Welch began working for Riegel Paper Company in Riegelwood, NC. In 1959, he began working for Bowater Carolina Inc. in Catawba, SC, from which he retired as assistant kraft mill superintendent.

Mr. Welch was an accomplished golfer, competing for the DuPont World Amateur title. He was a former president of Lancaster Dixie Youth Baseball. In addition to golf and baseball, he loved fishing and was an avid Duke Blue Devils fan. He was a member of First Baptist Church, Lancaster, SC, where he served as a deacon. He also served on numerous mission trips with the church.

Mr. Welch is survived by his son Charles (Lynn) Welch and daughter LeAnne Welch; grandchildren Lee Welch, Caroline Welch Dalton, Wyatt (Angela) Plyler, and Brad Plyler; great-grandchildren Deuce Dalton, Gloria Dalton, Michael Taylor, Isabelle Plyler, and Lily Plyler; sister Frances W. Taylor; brother Levy Welch; sister-in-law Julia (Jimmie) Davis; brothers-in-law Jimmy (Barbara) Hedgepeth and Linwood (Judy) Hedgepeth; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; sisters-in-law Shirley Welch, Rosalyn Smith, and Sara Hedgepeth; and brothers-in-law Buck Taylor, Harold Hedgepeth, Merle Hedgepeth, and Robert Smith.

A service celebrating the life of Mr. Welch will be held on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., in the First Baptist Church Memory Garden, Lancaster, SC, officiated by his nephew Rev. Rodney Taylor. Inurnment will follow the service. Family will greet friends informally after the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Attn: Memorial Department, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.