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Robert Lewis Welch III
Incident
Correctional Officer Robby Welch died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty while assigned to the Women’s Eastern Reception and Diagnostic Correctional Center in Vandalia, Missouri.
Officer Welch had served with the Missouri Department of Corrections for 13 years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Correctional Officer Robert Lewis Welch III died on July 22, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 59.
He is one of 885 officers honored here, and one of 8 at Missouri Department of Corrections.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, three children, and mother.
In Our Keeping
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- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Also honored at requiem.nw. One record, 2 gates. Robert is one person.
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Tributes
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Correctional Officer Welch gave the Missouri Department of Corrections 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Missouri. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Correctional Officer Welch.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Illness
Missouri Department of Corrections has lost 20 officers; 8 of them lost to illness.
Robert is one of 26 officers lost to illness in MO, 3.1% of the 829 remembered there.
Robert is one of 2,028 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,552 remembered there.
Robert is one of 2,979 officers lost to illness worldwide, 8.7% of the 34,103 remembered here.
34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 2021, 7 officers at Missouri Department of Corrections were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
In 2021, 10 officers in MO were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
In 2021, 564 officers in the United States were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
In 2021, 566 officers worldwide were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
Who
Robert was 59. Of the 8 lost to illness at Missouri Department of Corrections whose age is recorded, half were between 55 and 61.5; the middle age was 59. Robert had served 13 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.
Robert was 59. Of the 26 lost to illness in MO whose age is recorded, half were between 40 and 59; the middle age was 55.5. Robert had served 13 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.
Robert was 59. Of the 1,996 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51. Robert had served 13 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.
Robert was 59. Of the 2,916 lost to illness worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 39 and 56; the middle age was 49. Robert had served 13 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.
When
July holds 37.5% of these deaths at Missouri Department of Corrections, more than any other month. Thursdays: 50%.
July holds 11.5% of these deaths in MO; November holds the most, 19.2%. Thursdays: 26.9%.
July holds 7% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 14.9%. Thursdays: 15.7%.
July holds 7.3% of these deaths worldwide; October holds the most, 12.6%. Thursdays: 15.2%.
How
Illness deaths account for 40% of all 20 deaths at Missouri Department of Corrections, the 2nd most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 3.1% of all 829 deaths in MO, the 4th most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 7.4% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the 3rd most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 8.7% of all 34,103 deaths worldwide, the 3rd most common cause.
His people
Missouri Department of Corrections has 20 officers remembered here, Robert among them.
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William Bullard Jun 14, 1841
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Ephriam Allison
Nov 24, 1905
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John A. Clay Nov 24, 1905
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James W. Woods Mar 30, 1906
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Eli Jenkins Feb 28, 1918
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James Hart Feb 4, 1924
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Harold V. Atkinson
Jan 20, 1975
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Walter W. Farrow Jul 16, 1979
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Thomas Glenn Jackson, Sr.
Jul 3, 1983
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Rodney Charles Welch
Jan 14, 2002
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Debra Kay Collins
Mar 4, 2011
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Richard Allen Wright
Nov 19, 2020
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John Michael Bowe
Jan 27, 2021
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Leslie Lee Lentz
Jul 1, 2021
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Sonny Lee Orbin, Sr.
Jul 18, 2021
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Robert Lewis Welch, III
Jul 22, 2021
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Dennis Keith Bennett
Aug 12, 2021
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Jason Scott Pulliam
Oct 15, 2021
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John D. Luck
Dec 28, 2021
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Kelly Bernard Rolando
Oct 22, 2023
Where
Where the Name Is Cut
What is kept
Photographs, film, sound and papers — what survived a life.
Also Remembered
Others Who Wore This Badge
19 officers from Missouri Department of Corrections are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
