Gary Lee Welch, age 79 died on Sunday, September 24, 2023. Gary grew up on a farm outside of Braddyville, Iowa and later moved to Hastings, Nebraska, where he graduated from High School in 1962. He received his bachelor's degree from Hastings College and then earned a Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Nebraska and was a Licensed Independent Social Worker. He worked as a School Social Worker, a Family Therapist and Psychiatric Social Worker for over 40 years. He married his high school sweetheart, Colleen in 1968 and they had two boys, Eric and Jason.
Gary served three terms on the Ankeny City Council and served as chair of the Metro Waste Authority Board. He was a leader with the Ankeny Chamber of Commerce and was honored as Ankeny Citizen of the Year for 1997. He was the founding chair of the Neveln Community Resource Center and also chaired the Community Education Advisory Council and served in the Citizen's Police Academy. He also enjoyed being Santa over many seasons. He always had a twinkle in his eye and enjoyed making children smile.
Gary joined the Rotary Club of Ankeny in 1999, served as President for 2004-2005, and was the District 6000 Governor for 2010-2011. He was a Paul Harris Fellow, traveled to Mexico and Nigeria for Rotary mission trips and enjoyed traveling the world with his Rotary family. He cofounded the annual Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA), a life changing leadership training program for youth across Iowa. He and Colleen also enjoyed hosting three Rotary exchange students for Italy, Sweden, and Japan.
Gary lived the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self" and will truly be missed by all who knew him.
President SchraderBachar received a letter from John Hewko, General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International stating the following. A similar letter is being sent to Colleen Welch.
Dear Steve,
I was saddened by the news of the death of Past District Governor Gary Welch, and, on behalf of President Gordon McInally and the members of the Board of Directors of Rotary International, I extend sincere sympathy to the members of the Rotary Club of Ankeny.
Gary's life truly reflected Rotary's motto of Service Above Self. His involvement in Rotary, and especially his service as district governor in 2010-2011, are greatly appreciated. He will be missed by many.
Gary's death will be included in a forthcoming issue of Rotary magazine.
Milt Aunan worked for NW Bell for 42 years as Operations Manager and joined Rotary in Bettendorf, Iowa. After he was transferred to Ankeny, he was contacted by a former District Governor about getting a Rotary Chapter started in Ankeny. With the help of the Northwest Rotary Club, he was able to obtain approval from the other Des Moines area clubs and got the Rotary Club of Ankeny chartered on January 19, 1973. He is considered the founder of the Rotary Club of Ankeny. Milt was not only the person responsible for getting the Rotary Club of Ankeny chartered but he was also the first President, first Paul Harris Fellow, and the first Rotarian of the year.
Milt died on September 21, 2023, at age 94. On Saturday, September 30, 2023, a visitation will be held at 9:30 AM followed at 10:30 Am by a memorial service at Westchester Evangelical Free Church, 4919 Aurora Ave. Des Moines.
The committee for the 2024 Ankeny Rotary fundraiser has decided there will be two "Paddle Raisers" at the"Ankeny Rotary Runs for the Roses" to be held on May 4, 2024. The two organizations selected will be given two complimentary tickets to the event and will be asked to make a brief presentation to describe their mission. The auctioneer will then ask the guests to raise their paddles to make donations to these two organizations and the total funds raised will be split equally between the two.
Club members are invited to nominate a non-profit to be one of these paddle raisers by completing a nomination form that will be available at the weekly meeting on October 10th. All nominations are to be forwarded to Noel Fiscus at Noel@fiscusdiamond.com prior to November 15, 2023. Club members will then have to opportunity to vote on the nominations to make the selection of the two paddle raisers for the fundraiser.
US Army Reserve Sergeant Major Todd Eipperle was deployed to Kuwait in December, 2022. He served with the143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), U.S. Army Reserve under the U.S. Central Command. This was his third deployment.
Todd completed his assignment and after several days of travel arrived back in Iowa on September 9th. Needless to say, his wife Julie and their dog, Cloe, were glad to have him back home.
Three new members were inducted into the Rotary Club of Ankeny on September 12, 2023. They, along with current member, Nancy Zwickel, will be representing new corporate member First Interstate Bank. The three new members are Rebecca Pokorny, Retail Manager, Bryce Whitaker, Financial Advisor, and Bob Jurgensen, Commercial Relationship Manager.
Congratulations Rebecca, Bryce, and Bob and welcome to the Rotary Club of Ankeny!
Rachel Digmann was presented with a certificate and pin in recognition of her being named a Paul Harris Fellow during the Rotary meeting on July 25, 2023. This recognition was made possible by her husband, Ben, donating his recognition points to her. Congratulations Rachel and thank you Ben for supporting the Rotary Foundation!
The Board has approved an application for membership from Joseph Herst, the Director of Development for Special Olympics, Iowa. He is being sponsored for membership by Brandon Converse.
Comments regarding this prospective new member may be forwarded to any Board member.
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