Dr. Richard (Rick) Craig Welton was born September 28, 1954, in Trail, British Columbia.

A lifelong lover of the outdoors, Rick grew up swimming and skating on the Columbia River as well as hiking and biking in the nearby mountains. He earned a medical degree at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC and completed his graduate medical training at hospitals across Alberta, Canada and South Africa. He then entered a family medicine practice in Calgary, Alberta.

He met his wife Marija while hiking in the Rocky Mountains. He and Marija bonded over their passions for mountaineering, climbing, skiing, birding and many other outdoor activities which they continued throughout their lives. Rick and Marija married in 1989 and their daughters were born in 1990 and 1992.

The young family moved to Tonasket, Washington in 1997 and Rick worked at Tonasket Family Health Centers and the North Valley Hospital Emergency Room for the next two decades. He enjoyed the challenges of rural family medicine and particularly enjoyed caring for the obstetric and pediatric patients– while generally a serious presence in the hospital (the nurses used to have a daily competition to see who could make him laugh!), he could always be found smiling after a successful delivery.

After retiring in 2020, he continued to hike and cross-country ski despite developing Parkinson’s disease. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2023, which initially went into remission after receiving chemotherapy from the world-class Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center team. Unfortunately, the leukemia relapsed after a year and he tragically lost his wife Marija a few days after receiving the news that his leukemia had relapsed.

Despite the terrible and unexpected loss of her presence and support, Rick was able to remain at home until he died due to the community rallying behind him and helping with everything from driving to chemo appointments to building a wheelchair ramp. It was a remarkable testament to the spirit of a small town and his family will be forever grateful.

He is survived by his two daughters, Janine and Dr. Allison Welton and his sister, Jane.

The family would like to express their sincere thanks to Pam Thacker, the Confluence and Fred Hutchinson teams, North Valley Hospital and the Welcome Home staff who helped care for him in his final days. Donations in his honor can be made to the North Valley Hospital Foundation.

Bergh Funeral Service & Crematory is in care of arrangements.