Obituary for James Welch

James Corbin Welch

November 6, 1992 – September 25, 2021

James Corbin Welch passed away on September 25th, 2021, at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Corbin is survived by his mother and father, Leah Phipps Welch and James Paul Welch of Houston, Texas, and his sister, Molly Phipps Welch of Austin, Texas, as well as his grandparents James Gary Welch, Bonnie Lee Welch, and Joyce Mabel French of Houston, Texas. Corbin is preceded in death by his grandparents Mona Howe Phipps, Kent Clay Phipps, and Cathy Ruth Adelson. Corbin was born in Houston, Texas on November 6th,1992 at Rosewood Medical Center at 6:15 AM. He grew up in Houston and graduated from Houston Christian High School in 2011. While in high school he joined the drum line and was elected drum line captain by his peers during his senior year. Corbin learned tennis at a young age and continued playing into high school, joining the competitive tennis team. He also participated in the theater from a long-fostered love of performance and entertainment. He received his Associate of Arts from LoneStar College. Corbin then joined the Texas National Guard Infantry. He was a member of the Bravo Company 1st Battalion 141st Infantry and received recognition for his marksmanship. His battalion was assigned to uphold the safety and constitution at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, in 2020. He had a deep sense of honor and commitment to the military and to his country. In his twenties, Corbin worked in San Antonio for a company that specialized in engineered building materials. He found the combination of outdoor time and analytical processing satisfying and he was proud and ambitious in his endeavors.

With his gentle, heart-forward personality, Corbin developed many lifelong friendships. His connections with people were his highest priority and brought richness to his life. His naturally intuitive nature and witty sense of humor brightened the communities in which he moved, and he relished that sense of friendship and joy. Corbin’s deep spiritual and religious sensibility found an outlet in his Christian faith, and that faith provided a sense of sustenance, connection, and internal growth throughout the trials of his adult life. At times shy and introverted, he was also thoughtful and contemplative of life and death.

That musical ability flourished later in his life as he became a talented self-taught drummer. With his natural intelligence, Corbin also had an exquisite ability to recall details-obscure sports moments, facts about nature, or other random bits and pieces of information-that he liked to creatively drop into conversations to lighten up a room at an opportune moment. He and his family spent many summers by the ocean, where he’d play in the waves, read wonderful books, and connect with nature. Even into his adult life, he sought peace and inner calm through a love and appreciation for the ocean, and he was always at home while breathing salty air near a vast and unfathomable sea.

Corbin’s personality bubbled with a sweetness that was treasured by his friends and family, and that uncanny ability to touch peoples’ hearts will be greatly missed. His time on earth was short, a stepping-stone in a higher and longer journey of faith and oneness. And the love he shared will be remembered forever in our hearts.

A graveside service will be held in Ponca City at Resthaven Sunset Memorial Park on October 9th at 11AM and viewing and visitation with be October 9th from 9AM- 10:30 AM at Trout Funeral Home in Ponca City. A celebration of life will be held in Houston at St Phillip Presbyterian Church, 4807 San Felipe Street, at 11AM on November 13th.

Source: Trout Funeral Home