Elsa Mae “Ayden” Welch, age 12, of Prior Lake, MN, went home to be with her Lord, on Thursday, March 30, 2023.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 8, 2023, at 11 am, with a visitation from 9-10:45 am, at Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, 3611 North Berens Road NW, Prior Lake.
Elsa, a ten-pound, seven-ounce “butterball,” was born to Lorinda (Letnes) and Josh Welch on February 24, 2011, in Burnsville, MN. She joined big sister, Tula Jane, at their home in the Enclave neighborhood in Prior Lake.
If you knew Elsa, you knew of her love for animals, science, art, and her family. She loved spending time on the farm with her Grandpa Clair and Grandma Jane Welch, making lefse with her Grandpa Lorn Letnes, and eating sugar cereal as a precursor to a hot, pancake breakfast with her Grandma Melinda Letnes.
“It takes a village” is perfectly illustrated by the Enclave neighborhood. Elsa always had an audience and extra sets of eyes on her while the neighborhood celebrated with giant, adult-sized water slides, Fourth of July bicycle parades, garage crawfish boils, karaoke nights, and just enjoying summer afternoons and evenings together.
Elsa was a student at the Spanish Immersion school, La Ola del Lago, and spoke Spanish beautifully and fluently. She was a member of the Hidden Oaks Middle School band as a saxophone player, and enjoyed anime, origami, and flip-book clubs at school. Elsa spent her free time drawing, crocheting, and reading.
Elsa will be eternally missed and forever loved by parents, Joshua and Lorinda Welch; sister Tula Jane Welch; grandparents, Lorn and Melinda Letnes, Clair and Jane Welch; aunts and uncles, Jens Letnes, Ryan (Kate) Welch, Molly Welch, Megan (Brian) Gibbs; cousins, Mackenzie Welch, Zachary Welch; and many other relatives and friends.
Memorials will be distributed in Elsa’s memory to La Ola de Lago School parent teacher committee to help support their intern program. Checks can be made to LODL PTC with “Elsa’s Interns” in the memo and sent to:
La ola del lago at Grainwood
Attn: LODL PTC
5061 Minnesota St SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372
