WARE SHOALS, S.C. — Lukas Michael Welsch of Ware Shoals, South Carolina — a devoted father, son, and friend — “entered eternal rest on Saturday, July 16, 2022,” his family wrote in a tribute. He was 29.

Born in Niskayuna, he was a son of Bernadine Stanton Peyton and the late Harold A. Welsch.

He was a graduate of Ware Shoals High School.

“His greatest goal in life was to make people laugh and raise his two sons,” his family wrote. “He was a devoted father, son, and friend.

“Lukas’s unyielding love for life, to have fun and make people laugh, is only surpassed by his great and unwavering love for his family and friends who he loved ferociously. His infectious smile and ability to light up a room was a gift he inherited from his dad.

“Lukas had a passion for trucks (Fords), motorcycles I’m working on, any junk, and making them work — another gift from his dad. He will be deeply missed by so many.

“Hear the wind and listen, feel the wind, and know I am with you!”

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Lukas Michael Welsch is survived by his mother and stepfather, Bernadine and Michael Payton; by his maternal grandmother, Nadine S. Stanton; by his girlfriend and mother to his children, Kala McClinton; and by his two sons, Christopher Harold Welsch and Dawson T. Welsch.

He is also survived by three brothers, Jacob W. Welsch and Heidi, Jason M. Payton and Erika, and Joseph A. Rogers and Gabriele; by a sister, Stacey Jones; by several aunts and uncles, Mabel Welsch, Edward Welsch, James (Tiger) Welsch, Charles (Dusty) Welsch, and Janine Horan and Michael; by very dear and special friends, Daqun Agnew and Chris Watts; and by several cousins, nieces, and nephews.

His father, Harold A Welsch, died before him, as did his sister, Colleen M. Rogers, and his grandmother, Betha Zink, and, Papa Richard (Dick) Zink.

Funeral and burial services will be held Saturday, July 30, at 11 a.m. at the Welsch Family Cemetery on Miller Road in Berne, “at Lukas’s request to be laid to rest beside his father,” his family wrote.