Don's service can be viewed through Family Life Church's Youtube page: www.youtube.com/channel/UCq53tXfFzzt9Z0unqvCEjIA

Donald August Welk passed peacefully on January 5th 2022 at Skagit Valley Hospital to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was born on June 3rd 1937 in Anacortes Washington to August and Violet Welk and had one sibling, his brother, William Welk. He continued living in Anacortes where he met his wife Marlene Buer and married on September 12, 1959. He moved to Seattle to attend college at Seattle Pacific University and then to the University of Washington to study dentistry. He in part supported himself through school by doing carpentry work in various fashions which was a lifelong passion of his and skill that he perfected. He eventually moved to Kentucky with Marlene to be a part of the restorative dentistry department at the University of Kentucky in Lexington in 1964. There his only child, Kevin Welk, was born in October of 1970. He then moved with his family to Oklahoma City in 1971 to help start the University of Oklahoma School of Dentistry as the Chairman of restorative dentistry until his first retirement in 2001. He was admired by many of his colleagues for the skill he had as a restorative dentist and the quality of his work. After his retirement, he then began work on building his own house which he eventually completed in 2007. Around this time he started working at the Choctaw Indian Nation as a general dentist. He continued to work there until the end of 2018 and eventually moved back to his home state of Washington in March 2019 to be closer to his family. There he enjoyed almost three years of being closer to his son, daughter-in-law Cara, grandchildren (Kyann, Nolan and Lydia), and extended family. Until the end he was active helping others, calling frequently people he loved, making apple cider, and renovating a home. Beyond carpentry, during his lifetime he also greatly enjoyed hunting, fishing, crabbing, and snow skiing. To Marlene he was a loving husband, to his son a wonderful father and his three grandchildren found him to be a knowledgeable and fun grandfather. But he was also a caring father figure to many and to all of us he was a wise, calm and gentle man. He will be dearly missed.

As we all are aware, the omicron variant of COVID is rampant right now and the family has debated about cancelling the funeral due to that fact. But, for all involved there are many that need to grieve the loss of my father especially my mother.  We are requesting that all who attend the service wear a mask, aside from when they are sharing about Don in front of everyone. Also, there will be no reception in the church. These are very hard times and please allow some grace as we try to navigate a difficult situation.

Please send communications of condolences to Evans Funeral Home in Anacortes WA - online obituary is at www.evanschapel.com