Bill Raymond Welch, 91, passed away on 24 June 2014, at St. Vincent\u0027s Hospital in Little Rock. Mr. Welch was born on 9 April 1923 at Rutherford, TN, to the late Willie Hugh Welch and Dovie (Finch) Welch of RoEllen, TN.He was a World War II veteran and served as a Navy SeaBee in North Africa and Italy. He met Dorothy Jean Raguse of Otwell while working in the Jonesboro area and they married on 14 December 1943. Returning from the war he worked in heavy pipeline construction spanning the US until he began rice and soybean farming by renting the Raguse-Kluesner land in 1967 - retiring in 1984. He was very outgoing and made friends everywhere as he worked and then traveled during retirement. He was fondly known as "Beaver Bill" for his ability to trap beaver that threatened the farm. He travelled to Little Rock during the 70's and won an appeal made to the Arkansas Public Service Commission which was authorizing a major electric transmission line that would have dissected and again threatened his farming business. On 14 December 2013, he and Dorothy celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary and were interviewed and featured in an article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette titled "Auburn Haired Beauty was a Feast for His Eyes", chronicling their 70 years of love, courtship, and marriage. He was a member of the Otwell Christian Church. He is survived by his loving wife, Dorothy Jean and four children; Sharon Welch-Blair (Robert), Little Rock; Jerry Welch (Barbara), West Memphis, Debra Marks (Mark-deceased), Houston, TX, and Michelle Welch, Little Rock; eight grandchildren; Stephen Blair (Lisa), Wendy Nelson (Daniel), Jenifer Paschall (John), Jeremy Welch, Jonathan Welch (Pam), Christiana Marks, Colton Marks, Claire Marks and eight great-grandchildren; Jena and Samuel Blair, Jacque and Zachery Denley, Hannah and Luke Paschall, Abigail Welch, and Aayden Heitzman. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Sylvia Welch Gutherie, and his brother, the Reverend Julian Welch. A celebration of his life will be at 2:00 pm Saturday, June 28, 2014 at Gregg-Langford-Bookout Funeral Home Chapel with Jim Roberts officiating. Burial will follow at Keller's Chapel Cemetery with military honors. Visitation will be from noon to time of service at the funeral home. Honored to serve as pallbearers, Stephen Blair, Sam Blair, Jonathan Welch, Jeremy Welch, Colton Marks, Ronnie Cox and as honorary pallbearers, Robert Blair, Henry Sharp, John Paschal, Luke Paschall, Zachery Denley, Rock Guthrie, Dave Guthrie, Bill Jo Adams, Billy Wilkins, David Wilkins, Neal Puckett, Dale Alexander and Lindy Alexander. Lasting memorials may be sent to Kellers Chapel Cemetery c/o JD Lewis 707 Amberwood Cove, Jonesboro, AR 72401 or Otwell Christian Church 46 CR 221 Jonesboro, AR 72404