On the March day when Romero walked up to Welch’s house for the first time, the 44-year-old bookstore manager never imagined that he would still be ringing her doorbell deep into the next millennium.
He gave her Communion on Friday morning, two days after her 102nd birthday.
“I was very shocked when they told me she was going to be 100 years old,” Romero said.
Welch has been an enduring presence in Romero’s life for four decades. Since the two met in the late 1960s Romero changed jobs twice and eventually retired, watched his now middle-aged children graduate high school and celebrated his 50th anniversary with his wife.
During the ’70s, Romero would bring Welch Communion once a week, often stopping to talk with her for 15 or 20 minutes.
“She was always a very, very astute woman, cordial and always laughing,” Romero remembers. “The only time she would ever complain is about her knees.”
Welch can no longer hear very well, and has a hard time preparing herself to host company, but she loves Romero’s visits.
Romero belted out a jovial “good morning, Esther,” as he and Father Stephen Doktorczyk walked into Welch’s dining room Friday, where Welch sat in a chair against a wall with a blanket in her lap.
Welch was wearing a white dress with reddish decorations, and her fingernails were painted a deep red.
“Her personality hasn’t changed. She still takes pride in being ladylike,” her niece Chris said.
Romero took a metal box of Communion wafers out of a satchel hanging from his neck and Doktorczyk put one of the wafers in Welch’s mouth.
“Your picture is going to be in the paper,” Romero joked.
“Oh for heaven’s sake, put on my best dress,” Welch retorted. “I love company. I’m glad to see you.”
