Date of Birth: December 30, 1935
Date of Death: May 27, 2026
Ed was kind and thoughtful, the steady foundation and the adventurous, joyous spirit of our family. He brightened and touched the lives of many people he met, taught, and influenced.
It is with sadness our family shares that Ed passed away on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at St. Paul Lutheran Home in Melville.
He loved the outdoors and its beauty. He loved horses and was most comfortable in the
saddle, riding for pleasure or training them for ranchers. He loved music, was self-taught and played almost any instrument by ear, with a special fondness for guitar around a campfire. He was a teacher and school principal for 35 years, and he kept on teaching us throughout his life. He cherished his Lutheran faith, he deeply loved his family, his late wife Marie, his children, and grandchildren.
He was born December 30, 1935, on the family farm near Langenburg to August and Frieda Welke. He joined his brother Martin, and soon his sister Marlene was born, completing the family. The trio of Welke kids embraced life on the farm. Chores first of course, but time for adventures, hunting and exploring, much of the time on horseback. Ed attended Union Hill country school, then graduated from high school in Langenburg.
After considering becoming a pastor, Ed chose a career in education. He graduated from Teachers’ College in Moose Jaw and his first teaching stints, starting in1955, were in small town Saskatchewan, including Weekes, Grenfell, and his hometown, Langenburg. Part of Ed’s love of teaching was the freedom it gave him in summers it meant more time for adventures whether it was forest fire-fighting and peach picking in British Columbia, starting a gravel hauling business, or saddle-training a stubborn horse.
He fell in love with Marie (then Fuhr) in Langenburg and they married in 1963 and true to his spirit he chose Whitehorse Yukon for his next teaching locale. Soon they were blessed with Paula who was born in the bustling northern city in 1964. Family drew them back to Saskatchewan and Jeff was born in Langenburg in 1967. After earning his degree from the University of Saskatchewan, Ed became the principal of Davison Elementary School in Melville. Ed and Marie raised their family and lived their lives, mostly in the Rail City.
Our family is deeply touched by the many, many kind words people have shared about Ed, whether they were taught by him, were his friends, his extended family, or knew him through his extensive community involvement with the Lions, church council, Melville Millionaires executive, or any other endeavor that needed a hand. Marie was a hair stylist and she and Ed were also business owners, only growing their already large circle of friends. After Ed retired from teaching, they built a waterfront home at Crooked Lake, where the adventures continued with many close friends, the love of his life, his children and their partners, and his special little loves his grandchildren Christopher, Ashley, and Logan.
So much fun! In the hills, on the water, on the golf course. It is impossible to capture all the adventures but what an amazing time in life for Ed. Then, just as fall becomes
winter, things slowed a little for him these past few years. The love he experienced from the staff at the Home, particularly Bethany Way, was simply immeasurable.
He is survived by his daughter Paula (Lyndon) and her children Ashley (Gabe) and Logan (Ashley), son Jeff (Delaine) and his son Christopher (Heidi), his sister Marlene Miller, his brother-in-law Leo and sister-in-law Joanne Fuhr, brother-in-law Edwin and sister-in-law Karen Fuhr, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife Marie, his parents August and Frieda, his father-in-law Gustav and mother-in-law Helen Fuhr, his brother Martin and sister-in-law Arla Welke, his brother-in-law Archie Miller, his brother-in-law Carl and sister-in-law Ruth Zorn, and his brother-in-law Ken and sister-in-law Anetta Mund.
Donations may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan or the St. Paul Lutheran Home Foundation.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 5, 2026, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Melville, with the Rev. Ronald Shumba officiating. Interment will take in Melville City Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Matthews Funeral Home, Melville.
