Biography of Sharon Farr Welch

Sharon Farr Welch was born Nov. 29, 1942, in Tacoma, Wash., to Frank and Anne Morris Farr, was raised in Lame Deer and attended Lame Deer Grade School. She graduated from Colstrip High School in 1960 and the following year from Billings Business College. She was a proud, enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.

In 1965, she began working for the Federal government at the FAA in Alaska. After returning to Billings, she was hired by the Indian Health Service where she remained for 29 years winning numerous accolades for her outstanding service and retired as a contracting officer. Bored with retirement, she returned to work for 10 years at Walmart. Sharon also spent many years volunteering at the Billings Food Bank.

Sharon loved nature’s beauty and all of her creatures. Not surprisingly, her flower gardens were beautiful. She was a sports fan and a regular at local high school sporting events. She particular loved watch run-and-gun basketball played by Montana’s reservation teams. She was a fantastic baker of sweets, enjoyed the theater and would solve crossword puzzles in pen. Sharon passed on these passions to each of her three children (Kim, Shawn, and Corey) in different ways. She has three granddaughters, Randi, Chelsea, and Mariah.

Sharon passed away on Nov. 24, 2011, after a courageous four year battle with ovarian cancer.

This scholarship, established in 2015, is to honor Sharon’s commitment to education, Native Health programs, and leaving the planet a little better than she found it.

Update:  Since the founding of this scholarship, Sharon’s three granddaughters have all graduated college with Randi earning a MA in Nursing and works at a IHS clinic in Portland, Chelsea earned a BS in Nursing and works in Billings, and Mariah earned a Law degree in May 2023 from Gonzaga University and has been doing Native law related work while preparing to take the bar exam in Washington.

In recent years, additional members of the Farr-Welch family and friends of Corey Welch & his wife Tracy Heath, have donated to this scholarship and we hope to continue to add $1000 scholarships in the future.

 Photos (Top left to right):  Frank & Anne Farr Family; Frank Farr Sr. & Sharon Farr, High School graduation; Lame Deer Pow Wow with daughter, Kim Welch & youngest granddaughter, Mariah Welch; Sharon & her three children (Kim, Shawn, Corey) at her Corey’s PhD graduation party.