Amanda Patience Underdown Welch

     Amanda Patience Underdown Welch, 53, passed away peacefully on September 24, 2026, at Gaston Memorial Hospital. In her final moments, her beloved daughter, Destiny, was by her side, holding her mother’s hand as she peacefully passed from this life and was finally free from pain.

     Amanda had fought a courageous battle with throat cancer and, just two months before her passing, she beat cancer. She was a fighter, and she had every reason to be proud of that victory. Her passing was not the end of that battle, but the beginning of her final journey home.

     Amanda was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Betty and Roger Underdown, who had passed years before her. We can only imagine the beautiful reunion waiting for her at the pearly gates, with her mother and father there to welcome their daughter home. She was also preceded in death by her precious Aunt Linda and her brother, Terry, who we know was waiting to greet her with open arms.

     Left here on earth to grieve her passing and carry her memory are her husband, James “Daryl” Welch; her only daughter, Destiny Carlisle (Matt Johnson); and her three amazing grandchildren, Freya Spencer, Abigail Spencer, and Clayton Callahan.

     She also leaves behind her grieving former husband and Destiny’s father, Jerry Carlisle; her beloved cousin, Tracy Martin (Robbie Morton); her sister-in-law, but truly more like a sister, Lisa Welch (Tony Moore); and many, many other family members and friends who loved Amanda dearly.

     Amanda’s greatest treasures were the people she loved. She loved hard, smiled even bigger, and had a wonderful, contagious laugh that could brighten a room. She had a way of making people feel loved, and the memories she created with those around her will remain long after the tears have dried.

     She was especially proud of her daughter, Destiny, and of the family and loved ones she leaves behind. Her love for them was something she carried with her throughout her life, and she would want each of them to know just how deeply they were loved. She would be proud to see them continue forward, carrying her love, her laughter, and the pieces of her that live on in each of them.

     Amanda’s life was not defined by her illness. It was defined by the people she loved, the laughter she shared, the smiles she gave, and the memories she left behind.

She fought.
She loved.
She laughed.
She lived.

     And when the time came, she was not alone. Her daughter was holding her hand, surrounded by love.

    Her cancer was beaten. Her pain is gone. Her battle is over. And now, she is finally home.

    Amanda will be loved, remembered, and missed more than words could ever express.