Shirley Welker

Shirley Jean Rystrom Welker, 81, wife of Robert Welker, passed away August 5 , 2012 at her residence. A Memorial Services is scheduled for 11 a.m., Wednesday, August 8, 2012 at First Baptist Church in Somerville, with Pastors Larry Embry and Corby Brizendine officiating. Shirley Welker was born in York, Nebraska on Jan. 13, 1931 to Clayton Arthur and Beulah Maude Tinker Rystrom. She was baptized into the Christian faith in the fall of 1956. An art major in college, she left school at 20 years of age to marry Robert Welker on Dec. 18, 1951. She was a mother, homemaker, and horsewoman, and was owner/manager of the family''s horse stable enterprise. Survivors include her husband, Robert H. Welker of Washington; son and daughter-in-law, Brian and Denise Welker of Fulshear; daughter and son-in-law Mendee and Brad Stroud of Weatherford; grandchildren: Josh, Kyle, Ellis, Daniel and Tiffany Welker, Tammy Garner, Todd and Chase Stroud, and Kelley Allbritton; great-grandchildren: Peyton, Ripley, Colton, Scout, Brodie, Nash, Tinsley, Noah, Gage, Aubrey, and Knox, and a brother and sister-in-law, Clayton and Jeanne Rystrom of Arkansas, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death were parents Beulah and Clayton Rystrom and a daughter, Sherell Welker. Honorary pallbearers are grandsons Josh, Kyle, Ellis and Daniel Welker, and Todd and Chase Stroud. Shirley was a member of the Gulf Coast Equine Association. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Somerville, and enjoyed membership in various Baptist churches during her lifetime. Shirley was an artist at heart. Her favorite color was blue, and the rose was her flower of choice; the "Sound of Music" was the movie she enjoyed, and especially treasured time spent with her great-grandbabies, whom she presented with special gifts of beanie babies. Memorials may be directed to the First Baptist Church of Somerville. Funeral arrangements for Shirley Jean Welker are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main, Brenham. To post a tribute to the family, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.