Tee Off for Tim is in memory of Tim Welch, a Holyoke native who died unexpectedly in November 2024 at the age of 40.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
On Sept. 14, East Mountain Country Club will be the host site for the first Tim Welch Memorial Golf Tournament to fund scholarship opportunities for aspiring plumbers.
Tee Off for Tim, the other name for the event, is in memory of Tim Welch, a Holyoke native who died unexpectedly in November 2024 at the age of 40. A plumber for 20 years, he was a project manager for Tandem Mechanical and was known for mentoring apprentice plumbers.
His family looks to carry on his legacy while paying tribute to his love of golf with this new tournament that will raise funds for the Tim Welch Memorial Scholarship, a newly formed fund to be awarded to a graduate of Smith Vocational High School who is pursuing their Journeyman’s License in plumbing.
Tim’s parents and organizers of the event Joanne and Gary Welch told Reminder Publishing that their son, the middle child to an older and younger sister, loved his family and friends and eventually found a lane under his father’s business in plumbing after coming home from college.
“Growing up, he always had a lot of friends, and he was a funny, humorous boy with a kind heart and he just loved being around people,” said Joanne. “He just touched everybody that he ran into. That carried through his whole life.”
Gary explained Tim started his career in plumbing under his wing at Welch Plumbing and Heating and the two had great chemistry as partners in work.
“We would get up and go and we would work. It was a lot of work for two people and a lot of the contractors we worked for were always surprised how much work we could get done. We got along really well,” said Gary. “I trusted him because he caught on so well. He was such a smart kid, so he caught on to plumbing really fast.”
Looking to honor their son’s legacy following his unexpected death, Joanne and Gary took from their son’s passions for direction in how to best remember and celebrate his life.
“We thought how can we give back, he was such a good person. It just made sense that with this being such a rewarding career for both of them to give back to the plumbing students who still have schooling left and tests to take and tools to buy so it just clicked and made sense,” explained Joanne.
The decision to create a scholarship in Tim’s name for aspiring plumbing students became a no-brainer. While Tim did not go to Smith Vocational, the family has decided to use this fundraiser as a way to pay it forward for future plumbers as it is a local pipeline into the career field.
“After I closed my business and we worked for various places, he was in charge of a lot of apprentices, and he was a great teacher and mentor to them. There’s guys that I’m still working with today that will attest to that,” said Gary. “They were so happy to work with Tim because he taught them, and he was patient and he took the time to show them everything they needed to do. And he never yelled at anyone because he knew he had to have patience with them because they were young, kind of like I had with him when he was just learning. He was just a great mentor so we thought it would be good for his tradition to live on at Smith Voc.”
Joanne added, “We would like to carry on Tim’s legacy of kindness, love and positivity and so if we can fund this scholarship through the golf tournament, whether it be for a year or for the next 10 years, we will be very grateful.”
Both Joanne and Gary shared that Smith Vocational has been “wonderful” in working with them to establish this new scholarship fund and look forward to seeing it in action and helping out future students.
The other angle tied to this fundraiser from Tim’s life passions is his love for golf. Since he was a child, Tim had been active in various capacities, from ski team to mountain biking and hiking, and it carried into his adult life. Eventually, he found a passion and love for the game of golf as it allowed him to be outdoors and gave him a window to spend more time with friends and family.
“He first started golfing at Wyckoff [Country Club] years ago with his friend and he really fell in love with the game. Then later on when him and I were on business, we would go out once or twice a week in the morning before work,” added Gary. “He just really enjoyed the game. He liked practicing and getting better at it.”
A handful of years ago, Tim was able to join a league at East Mountain Country Club and eventually after, he was able to get his father into an open spot.
“He wasn’t my partner, he played with someone else. He just enjoyed going to the league and playing every Thursday night. He would enjoy beating me,” said Gary with a laugh. “That was his thing, when we would play against him in the league, he would like beating me and he usually always did because I’m not that great a golfer. His passion for the game grew and he enjoyed it.”
As part of the day’s activities, golfers and other attendees will be able to try their swing at the Pipe Wrench Putt, using Welch’s pipe wrench to try and sink the ball. The idea, born from Tim’s uncle Ted, will allow attendees to each take three put attempts using Tim’s pipe wrench. If a lucky participant sinks the put, a gift card reward will be offered.
“It just came out of my brother being really excited to do this and it was his brainchild,” said Joanne. “You don’t have to be a golfer to try it. We’re hoping that throughout the day even the non-golfers try it and laugh and have a little fun.”
Following the day out on the course, there will be a dinner and raffle continuing the fundraiser. The items available in the raffle will vary from small to big prizes.
Sponsorship at all levels and raffle prizes are still being accepted. To donate or to register a foursome, email timwelchgolf@gmail.com, or visit the Tee Off for Tim Facebook page.
Joanne and Gary added they both hope for good weather and for those who knew Tim and any other community members interested in coming by for a day of golf and to support a good cause in memory of their son and his life.
“Timmy meant something to everybody. He mattered, but they [friends and family] mattered to him, and I think all these people coming together in an environment where they’re having fun, talking about him and sharing memories, and just remembering his legacy I think will be important,” said Joanne. “I think it’s just all coming together. We’re all powered by Tim, and I think coming together to share Tim’s memory will be great. And we don’t want to lose sight of supporting this scholarship as well.”
