JoEllen Welte

JoEllen Currigan Welte, age 71, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at MountainView Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Born on February 8, 1955, in Ontario, Canada, to the late Bernard “Barney” Currigan and Phyllis Barlow Blanche, JoEllen moved with her family to Piedmont, California, during her elementary years. She grew up in Piedmont and graduated from Piedmont High School in 1973. From her early childhood, JoEllen held a deep and enduring love for Jesus Christ, a faith that remained the anchor and radiation of her entire life.

Shortly after high school graduation, JoEllen enlisted in the United States Air Force, completing basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. She was subsequently stationed at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California, where she faithfully served as a surgical technician in the base hospital. Following her military service, JoEllen attended college in San Diego, lived in Phoenix, Arizona, and later spent time in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, pursuing her love for snow skiing.

While visiting her mother in Las Vegas at age 28, JoEllen attended a local church service where she met Mike Welte, who would become her loving husband. Together, they made Las Vegas their lifelong home and were blessed with two children, Danielle and Matthew. In addition to being a devoted wife and homemaker, JoEllen continued her education and served her community as a part-time healthcare professional.

JoEllen had a vibrant, creative spirit and loved blessing others through her artwork. She delighted in sewing quilts, making tree skirts, and crafting costumes for loved ones. Throughout her neighborhood walks with her beloved dogs, Zeke and Kota, she left small, hand-painted stones decorated with scripture messages of faith, hope, and love. JoEllen also partnered with her husband in planting a church in Las Vegas, serving as a Bible teacher, discipling and counseling women, and sharing the grace of the Gospel.

Above all, JoEllen’s greatest joys were her love for the Lord and her deep devotion to her family—especially her cherished granddaughter, Riyah. She also loved traveling with family and friends, creating lasting memories in Hawaii, Mexico, and across Italy, France, and Spain.

JoEllen was preceded in death by her father, Bernard “Barney” Currigan, and her mother, Phyllis Barlow Blanche.

She is survived by her husband, Mike Welte; her daughter, Danielle; her son, Matthew; and her granddaughter, Riyah Brooke Welte, all of Las Vegas, NV. She is also survived by her brother, Bernard “Barney” Currigan (WA), and her sisters, Rosie (WA) and Nancy (CA).

Celebration of life and graveside service will be held on Friday, October 2, 2026 at 1:20 pm at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1900 Veterans Memorial Drive Boulder City, NV 89005. Family and friends are invited to leave condolences and cherished memories at www.starmortuary.com

JoEllen’s greatest hope and most burning desire was to one day be in the presence of her Savior and that those she loved, family and friends, would receive the gift of salvation that God promises to all who will believe and receive from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. JoEllen simply wanted all to seek the promise that we all can be together when our lives in this plane of existence are completed.

“God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.” — Psalm 46:5

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” — John 1:12–13

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” — Jeremiah 29:11–12