Stella was born in Coalville, Utah in 1930 to Ira and Stella Mae Tree. She married Stanley L. Welsh on June 23, 1949, in the Salt Lake City Temple. They had eight children and have lived in Orem since 1960.

Stella led a life of faith and service. She was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held many positions in the church, including Relief Society President. She was a caregiver for her mother-in-law, mother, stepfather, and countless others who crossed her path.

She was an avid gardener and preserved thousands of jars of fruit and vegetables for her family. She was a skilled seamstress who made and repaired clothes. She was a tireless quilter whose quilting frames often occupied the front room for weeks on end. She was an excellent baker and cook. She loved flowers and had spectacular beds of iris, peonies, daffodils, and tulips. She loved to read and was rarely seen without a book near her side.

She was the first female elected to serve on the Orem City Council where she served for 8 years and was the first elected female mayor of Orem, Utah. She loved Orem and was instrumental in establishing community parks including the Orem Canyon Park, which served as the site for the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. She helped Habitat for Humanity obtain land for the first house in Utah County. She helped secure the Timpanogos Regional Hospital, and worked on countless other projects in Orem from which the citizens benefit today. After serving as mayor, she served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity, Kids on the Move, Community Action, and the Timpanogos Regional Hospital. She leaves a legacy of kindness, service, and hard work. She will be greatly missed.

Stella is survived by her husband, Stan, her children ­ Julie Swenson (Bill), Kent Welsh, Ruth Chatterley (Matt), Blaine Welsh (Blythe), Kathy Welsh, Jean Pope (Brent), Martin Welsh (Angie), and Eric Welsh (Jessica), her brother, Ira Tree (Janice), her half-brother, Steven Tree, 33 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Ira Tree and Stella Mae Winters, her stepfather Phares Winters, her brother, David Tree, her sister, Norene Turnbow, her half-brother Phillip Tree, her grandson, Tyler Swenson, her great grandsons, Justin Landeros and Clay Landeros, and her daughter-in-law Laura Lee Welsh (Kent).

A viewing will take place at Walker Sanderson Funeral Home, 646 E. 800 N., Orem, UT 84097 from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, November 17, 2023. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 18 at the LDS church located at 481 E. Center Street, Orem, Utah. Interment will follow in the Peoa, Utah cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Habitat for Humanity, Kids on the Move of Utah, or Utah Community Action.