Bertha Madaline (Weger) Welch-Jones

Bertha Madaline (Weger) Welch-Jones, born March 11, 1919, went to be with her Lord and Savior on March 13, 2023, passing away peacefully surrounded by her family.

Bertha was born to Ira Dail Weger and Barbara Katherine "Kate" Weger on March 11, 1919, in Flat Rock, IL. She had two brothers, Clebert Carter Weger and Kelly Edward Weger, and two sisters, Kathleen Almeda (Weger) Conrad and Margaret Bernadine Weger. Bertha married Philip Charles Welch on July 3, 1953, in Hutsonville, IL. Philip passed away on August 29, 1992. She then married Paul Clarence Jones on November 22, 1994, and he passed away on August 1, 2003.

Bertha never had children of her own but was loved by many generations of nieces and nephews. She just reached a milestone birthday of 104 years young! She was the matriarch of 6 generations, most recently celebrating the birth of her great-great-great-great-nephew, Daxtyn, in February 2023. Bertha is believed to have been the oldest surviving ancestor in the Weger/Williams family.

She was born and raised on the family farm in Honey Creek Township, Flat Rock, IL. As a young child, Bertha worked just as hard as her brothers on the farm, receiving no special treatment just because she was a girl. This made her a very strong-minded and independent woman! She attended school in rural Flat Rock, graduating in 1937. She thought she wanted to be a nurse, so Bertha attended nursing school before realizing that it wasn't for her (though she did receive her Red Cross Badge).

During World War II, Bertha and a girlfriend hitchhiked from Flat Rock to Mount Carmel, 36 miles, to work as "Rosie the Riveter" in a factory building radar units. After the war, she tried waitressing for a while, which, again, wasn't for her. Then, in 1949, she started working at L.S. Heath & Sons, where she worked for 25 years before retiring in 1974. To the very end, the old-fashioned English toffee bars were her favorite candy!

Bertha and Phil enjoyed fishing and camping, gardening, and yard work. She was still doing some of her own yard work well into her 90s and was still driving at 99, though she decided not to renew her license on her 100th birthday!

Bertha has been a resident at Mason City Area Nursing Home in Mason City, IL, since 2018. While a resident, she was in a few fashion shows, modeling clothing that she had made! She was also Valentine Royalty, being crowned Valentine Queen at 100 years of age! For Bertha's 100th birthday, she put on her high-heeled shoes and had a dance with a pharmacist that came to the nursing home, who she considered to be quite handsome! She was always a very classy lady and took a lot of pride in her appearance. There was never a hair out of place, and she was still wearing full-face makeup at 102 years of age.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Dail and Kate Weger; her siblings and their spouses, Clebert and Maxine Weger, Kelly and Jean Weger, Kathleen and Max Conrad, and Margaret Weger (in infancy); and her husbands, Phil Welch and Paul Jones. She is survived by several nieces and nephews.

Bertha will be missed greatly by her family, but in the last couple of years, her wish was to go home and rock her baby sister once again in their heavenly home.

The family has requested that funeral services be private and burial will be in the Robinson New Cemetery. The Goodwine Funeral Home in Robinson is in charge of these arrangements, assisted by the Hurley Funeral Home in Mason City. Her loved ones want to thank the Mason City Area Nursing Home for all of the great care and compassion Bertha received while residing there these last few years. A special "thank you" to her great-great-niece, Jessica, who was there almost every day to comfort her Aunt Berthie.