Verna Loretta Welch

(Verna) Loretta Mitcham Welch, 81, has gone to be with her Lord and Savior after a courageous and long battle with heart disease, leaving a void her family cannot fill.

Loretta was born in Flora, LA and was raised in the Natchitoches area. She graduated from Natchitoches High School and then pursued her dream of becoming a teacher at Northwestern State University. During her senior year of college, she married her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, James Welch, on September 4, 1965. On September 4, 2025, they celebrated 60 years of marriage.

After marriage and graduation, they moved to Lake Charles, LA to begin their careers and start their family. In 1972, they moved to Ragley, LA, where they still reside to this day.

Daughter, Sister, Niece, Wife, Aunt Retta, Mom, Mrs. Loretta, Mrs. Welch, Ma, and Grandma - she wore hats of many colors. She was a devoted teacher for 54½ years: 44 years with the Calcasieu Parish School System at Oak Park Elementary, Gillis Elementary, LeBleu Settlement Elementary, Dolby Elementary, and DeQuincy Primary; and 10½ years at Lake Charles Charter School.

Her entire adult life, she taught Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, and children's choir. She was a faithful member of Memorial Baptist Church. God and children were her passion. Sharing her knowledge of the Bible and teaching others how to be the best teachers possible was what she lived for. The countless hours spent grading papers and making flashcards, posters, and bulletin boards reflected her devotion to helping every child she encountered. But watch out for those "teacher eyes" if you weren't acting right!

She loved spending summers and holidays chasing after her grandchildren - whether it was band practice, football practice, or dance. From Ragley to West Monroe, she was always there for each of them. Taking vacations was important to her so she could share the sights and scenes of different places with her family. She especially cherished her "sister trips," where they would eat, laugh, sleep, and repeat.

If you knew her, you knew of her love for jewelry, lipstick, shoes, clothes, and purses - and they all had to match.

Loretta was a very caring person who would give her last penny to anyone in need. She never wanted you to know where it came from and didn't expect a thank you. She simply loved helping people.

She is survived by her loving husband, James Welch; her children, Stacy Welch (Lisa) and Jennifer LeDoux (Dwight); her siblings, Lloyd Mitcham Jr. (Ann), Carol Moore (Bruce), Charlotte Hemby, Vickie Abshire (Willis), and brother-in-laws, James Dodd and Perry Knox; her grandchildren, Shane Welch (Lindsay), Dusty Crowell (Carl), Hunter Welch (Ann Marie), Seth LeDoux (Kaele), and Jerica LeDoux (Dillion); and her great-grandchildren, Rylee Welch, Poppi Welch, Corey Crowell, Braxton Welch, Emma Crowell, Killian Crowell, Barrett Welch, Sutton LeDoux, Londyn LeDoux, Mya LeDoux, Wasey LeDoux, Amalie LeDoux, Aubryn LeDoux, and Clyde LeDoux. She also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews who will never forget the love she brought into their lives.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Lloyd and Verna Mitcham; her sisters, Billy Cook and Zelda Knox; her brother, Lory Mitcham (Susan); her brothers-in-law, Ron Silva and Robert Hemby; and her in-laws, Fred and Morean Welch, Freddie Lee and Wilson Rachel, Mac Welch, Carlos and Saroj Welch, Theda and L.T. Collins, O.K. and Joye Welch, Yvonne and Donald Fuller, Sam and Judy Welch, Karen Dodd, and Reba and Thomas Stamper.

Pallbearers will be Stacy Welch, Hunter Welch, Seth LeDoux, Sutton LeDoux, Wasey LeDoux, Sam Stacy, and Dillion Darbonne

Her funeral service will be held Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Johnson Funeral Home of Moss Bluff. Visitation will begin Wednesday, February 25, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., and will resume Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service. Burial will follow at Memorial Baptist Cemetery.