Sarah Ruth Welton
May 1, 1952 -
Feb 25, 2026
Dr. Sarah Welton was born on May 1, 1952, in Batavia, N.Y. The daughter of Rev. Dr. Robert G. and Ruth Ann Withers, she spent her youth in Utica, N.Y., where she graduated from Utica Free Academy in 1969. She attended Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., graduating with her B.A. in psychology in 1974. In 1983, she and her family moved to Alaska, first to Anchorage, and then to the Knik area in 1986. After her divorce, she met Gerald Rexrode and they lived in Wasilla, Alaska.
Sarah received her master's degree in counseling psychology from Alaska Pacific University in 1998, and later on her Ph.D. from Northcentral University in 2014. Dr. Welton taught as an adjunct for many years at Mat-Su College and ran her private practice of Alpha Counseling in Wasilla. She served on the Mat-Su School Board for 18 years and was a public education advocate. An active member of Church of the Covenant in Palmer, Alaska, she was installed as the pastor in 2009.
Sarah loved to sew and made her children and grandchildren clothes and crafted quilts. She also crocheted and loved to bake. She was an avid reader and even after her terminal diagnosis insisted on joining four book clubs in the valley.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and by Gerald Rexrode in 2020. She is survived by her companion, Jeremy Acota; children, Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell and husband Rev. J.C. Mitchell; son, Travis Welton and wife Kelly; and three grandchildren, A.J. Mitchell, Seamus Welton and Raleigh Welton. She is also survived by her brothers, Richard Withers and wife Bonnie, Ken Withers and husband Harry Henry, Gordon Withers and wife Cathy and Stephen Withers and wife Genina; stepmother, Barbara Rowe and husband Bob Wilson; extended family; and many friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, March 29, 2026, at 2 p.m., at the Palmer Train Depot, 610 South Valley Way in Palmer.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Church of the Covenant Palmer or the Wasilla Public Library.
