Lindsey Kathleen Payne Welch, 53, of Telluride, Colorado and Manchester-by-the-Sea, passed away on February 9th, with her husband Miles, her mother Dorothy, and her family beside her.
Lindsey was the third child of Mrs. Dorothy Denning Payne and her former husband, the late Dr. Thomas L. Payne, Jr. She was a 1986 graduate of The Lincoln School in Providence, and the Rhode Island School of Design, where she was awarded a BFA in graphic design in 1991. Lindsey founded her own firm, LPW Design, working for twenty-six years for Morgan Stanley and other major clients, and donated her creative services to countless non-profit organizations.
In addition to her husband Miles, Lindsey is survived by her children, Miles Jr., 18, Ellery, 16, and James, 14. Lindsey and Miles spent eighteen years raising their children in Telluride, Colorado, traveling east each summer to join family and friends in Narragansett, RI and Manchester-by-the-Sea. Lindsey was a fiercely devoted and proud mother who saw each of her children as individuals with distinct gifts, strengths and potential. With them, Lindsey shared her love of visual arts, skiing, tennis and community, but her paramount legacy to them is the soul-sustaining gift of time spent outdoors, especially in the mountains and by the sea.
Lindsey was also cherished by her three siblings, Thomas (Teri Youmans), John (Smitha Gollamudi), and Elizabeth (Jeffrey Tsai), and five brothers-in-law: James (Susan), Leighton (Beatrice), Christopher (Katherine Hosford), Gardiner (Sarah) and Samuel (Elizabeth), her mother-in-law, Virginia Welch, and twenty nieces and nephews.
Lindsey was an artist and designer whose gift for nonchalant elegance was matched only by her own effortless, natural beauty. A vibrant and uncommonly inclusive person, she made friends wherever she went. Never was this more evident than during the months she battled cancer, as friends from every part of her life, together with family, encircled her with love and care.
She was also ingrained in every aspect of the Telluride community, most notably at the Telluride Mountain School, where she helped lay the seeds for her children and others to flower. In the words of the school head, she “had an indomitable spirit and a quick wit which she shared generously and vocally with all that were fortunate enough to be in her presence.” Lindsey founded Girls Club Lacrosse in Telluride, leading the team from their "Bad News Bears" beginnings to competitive prominence. She was also a long-time and devoted board member of the nonprofit Pinhead Institute, bringing her grit, talent, humor, and wisdom to the organization as board president and furthering the institute’s mission of STEM education in rural southwestern Colorado.
At this time, the family also wishes to thank Lindsey’s extraordinary care team, including her sister-in-law Dr. Smitha Gollamudi, Dr. Kerry Kilbridge of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Dr. Gary Hammer of the University of Michigan. As requested by the family services will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, donations will support the Rogel Cancer Center Adrenal Cancer Program at Michigan Medicine. Checks may be made to “University of Michigan” with “Lindsey Welch” in the memo line and sent to Medical Development, 777 E. Eisenhower Pkwy., Suite 650, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. You may also call 734-764-6777 or visit the website https://victors.us/lindseywelch to make your gift.
