MIDLAND, Texas — Laura Bush's mother and longtime Midlander Jenna Hawkins Welch passed away at the age of 99 on Friday in Midland.
Her granddaughter Jenna Bush Hager spoke about her grandmother publicly today on Instagram, with a caption saying “Waking up thinking of my precious namesake, Jenna Welch who passed away Friday."
Bush-Hager also spoke about how Welch embodied the values of West Texans. "How lucky I was to be named after a woman who taught me how to slow down and appreciate every bird, and every plant in West Texas. She read us poetry and taught us about every constellation in the sky. Her kindness and graciousness were as expansive as the West Texas horizon."
For those wishing to pay respects, Welch's Sunday Midland Reporter-Telegram obituary states that “In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Midland County Public Library Foundation, Post Office Box 1634, Midland, Texas, 79702; or to the Jenna Welch Nature Study Center, Post Office Box 2906, Midland, Texas, 79702.”
