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Face to Face: Tonganoxie High school’s Mary Welsh

By Shawn Linenberger - | May 3, 2016

Name: Mary Welsh

Born: July 20, 1960, in Sharon, Pa.

Family: Husband, Rich; four daughters, Melissa, 33, Nicole 32, both of whom live in Rochester, Minn., Michelle, 31, Onley, Texas, and Molly, 21, who is going to be a senior at Kansas University in the fall; and 10 grandchildren (six girls and four boys). Her husband is retired from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Army after 26 years of service. He currently works for the Kansas City Royals.

Occupation: Administrative secretary at Tonganoxie High School.

Dream job as a child: Spanish interpreter

Interesting fact: Welsh worked in the Transplant Center at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “I’ve met some wonderful people,” Welsh said. “My favorite memory was the Transplant Olympic Games in Minneapolis.

“The challenges that these individuals go through and the strides they make are unbelievable.”

Digging deeper: Welsh’s family moved to Rochester. Minnesota, when she was 3 years old. She has four brothers and sister. They live in Minnesota.

Welsh graduated in 1978 from Lourdes Catholic High School. After high school, she went to work at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester for five years. She then moved to California for two years then came back to Rochester, where she met her husband.

Welsh worked in the Department of Dermatology and was promoted to the desk supervisor in the Urology Department before moving over as the desk supervisor of the Transplant Center. After Welsh served 20 years at Mayo, her husband was transferred to Terre Haute, Ind. They lived there 2 1/2 years before coming to Tonganoxie in December 2007.

While in Rochester, Welsh was involved in the Transplant Center Walk, transplant garage sales and volunteer work at Catholic schools in Rochester. Now, she volunteers for Team Tongie.