Ruth Adeline Welch

1920 - 2012  (91 years)

• Name	Ruth Adeline Welch
  	Father: George Leslie Welch (1888–1966) Mother: Sophronia Jenice Magee (1888–1960) [1]
  Birth	14 Jun 1920	Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.   [2, 3]
  History	24 Oct 1929 (9 years)	Black Thursday, Great Depression Begins
  Census	1930 (9 years)	Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.   [4]
  In the 1930 US Census, she was recorded, age 9, living at 207 Salem Street, Woburn, Massachusetts with her parents.
  Census	1940 (19 years)	Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.   [5]
  In the 1940 US Census, she was recorded, age 19, living at 37 Pinckney Street, Boston, Massachusetts with her parents. She worked as a waitress.
  History	7 Dec 1941 (21 years)	Attack on Pearl Harbor
  Census	1950 (29 years)	Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.   [6]
  In the 1950 US Census, he was recorded, age 29, living on 1079 Pleasant Street, Athol, Massachusetts.
  History	20 Jul 1969 (49 years)	Moon Landing
  History	11 Sep 2001 (81 years)	Attack on World Trade Center and Pentagon
  Death	11 Feb 2012	Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.   [2, 3]
  Agency: Quabbin Valley Healthcare
  Obituary	13 Feb 2012 (91 years)  [2]
  ATHOL- Ruth Adeline (Welch) Whelpley, 91, of 1079 Pleasant St., died on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, at the Quabbin Valley Healthcare, following a long illness, with her loving family at her side. Born in Woburn, on June 14, 1920, she was the daughter of the late George L. and Sophrona G. (Magee) Welch. She lived on Pinkney Street, RUTHA. WHELPLEY Beacon Hill, Boston, before moving to Athol, where she resided for the past 71 years. While raising her family Ruth was the bookkeeper at her husband's dealership, Howard Motor Sales on South Main Street, Athol. She worked over 25 years in the office at Moskovitz Women's Clothing Store until she retired in 1990. She loved to play the piano and organ and enjoyed many years of performing in the Elk's Minstrel Shows with her beloved husband Howard. She was a member of the Starrett Memorial United Methodist Church. Her husband of 65 years, Howard O. Whelpley, died in 2006. Survivors include her children, Dennis E. (Pat) Whelpleyof Athol, CaroleA. (Gene) Walsh of Chelmsford, Cary A. (Donna) Whelpley of Pepperell, Judith A. (David) McNamara of Pittsburgh, Penn., and Neil E. (Dawn) Whelpley of Townsend; 13 Grandchildren; Jeffrey A. Whelpley, Jennifer (Whelpley) Wetherby, Craig E. (Gina) Walsh, Deanna Walsh, Kathleen A. (Walsh)(Bill) Bennett, Patrick Howard Walsh, Debra L. (Whelpley) (Kyle) Bradley, Jill A.(Whelpley) (Bruce) Secovich, Elizabeth K. McNamara, Allison L. McNamara, Kathleen R. McNamara, Nicole Whelpley, and Ryan Whelpley; 21 great-grandchildren, Jeffrey Robichaud, Kayla Wetherby, Kullen Wetherby, Nicolas Whelpley, Ryan Whelpley, Lincoln Reynolds, Cody Reynolds, Travis Walsh, Meagan Walsh, Brooke Bennett, Kara Bennett, Jordan Whelpley, Abby Bradley, Emma Bradley, Madison Bradley, Kaleb Secovich, Jacob Secovich, Cassandra Secovich, Olivia Secovich, Jada Secovich and seven day old Isaac Gabriele Secovich. She was predeceased by her sister, Dorothea Hutchins. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012, at 11 a.m., in the Fiske-Murphy & Mack Funeral Home, 110 New Athol Rd., Orange. Burial will be private in Highland Cemetery. A calling hour will be held Wednesday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial contributions be made in her memory to Quabbin Valley Healthcare - Activity Fund, 821 Daniel Shays Hwy., Athol, Mass. 01331. For more information or to sign the online guest book visit www.fiskemurphymack. com. Fiske-Murphy & Mack Funeral Home, 110 New Athol Rd., Orange, is directing arrangements. Published by The Athol Daily News, 13 February 2012
  Burial	15 Feb 2012	Highland Cemetery, Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Highland Cemetery, Athol, Massachusetts   [2]
  Person ID, Branch	I25712
  Last Modified	18 Feb 2026

  
  

  Spouse / Partner	Howard Orton Whelpley,   b. 13 Jun 1919, Northfield, Washington County, Vermont, U.S.A. d. 21 Mar 2006, Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A. (Age 86 years)
  Marriage	1941	Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.   [2, 7, 8]
  Age at Marriage	She : ~ 20 years and 6 months - He : ~ 21 years and 6 months.
  Children	1943  [6, 9]
  1. Dennis E. Whelpley 2. Carol A. Whelpley 3. Cary A. Whelpley 4. Neil E. Whelpley 5. Judith Whelpley
  Family ID	F9319	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	17 Feb 2026

  
  

• Pedigree

  ← Click to display 1Ruth Adeline Welch(1920 – 2012) 2 3

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 14 Jun 1920 - Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Census - 1930 - Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Census - 1940 - Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Marriage - 1941 - Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Census - 1950 - Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Death - 11 Feb 2012 - Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Burial - 15 Feb 2012 - Highland Cemetery, Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  Ruth A. (Welch) Whelpley

  
  

• Sources 🟢 Primary Evidence 🟡 Secondary Evidence 🟠 Tertiary Evidence 🔴 Unreliable Evidence

  [S110] Ancestry.com, Ancestry Family Trees, (Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.). [S2363] Obituary of Ruth A, Whelpley, (Athol, Massachusetts: The Athol Daily News, 13 February 2012, page 2). [S10] Social Security Administration, Social Security Death Index (SSDI), (Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011). [S20] Bureau of the Census, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, (Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002), Year: 1930; Census Place: Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0549; FHL microfilm: 2340666. [S21] Bureau of the Census, 1940 U.S. Federal Census, (Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012), Year: 1940; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: m-t0627-01663; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 15-205. [S2303] Bureau of the Census, 1950 U.S. Federal Census, (Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 20212), National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Athol, Worcester, Massachusetts; Roll: 3375; Page: 16; Enumeration District: 14-14. [S247] New England Historic Genealogical Society, Massachusetts, Marriage Index, 1901-1955 and 1966-1970, (Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013). [S2045] U.S., Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847-Current, (Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011). [S2362] Obituary of Howard O. Whelpley, (Athol, Massachusetts: The Athol Daily News, 22 March 2006, page 2).