WELSH – Charles A. Jr., 96, Menlo Park, N.J., died Monday, June 23, 2008, at New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home in Menlo Park. He was born June 10, 1912, in Somerset, son of Charles A. Sr. and Mary Kerney Welsh. He graduated from Somerset High School in 1929, and embarked immediately on a newspaper career with the Somerset Daily American. On Oct. 12, 1935, he married Elizabeth Dresser and they raised three children together. He accepted an assignment with the Johnstown Tribune in 1940, and joined the Associated Press (AP) in Philadelphia in 1942. His newspaper career was interrupted by a stint in the U.S. Navy where he served on the USS San Francisco in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and participated in the invasions of Okinawa, Luzon, Iwo Jima and Leyte. During his 17 month stint in the Navy, he wrote his wife almost every day, a compendium of nearly 500 letters. He returned to the Pittsburgh AP office after being discharged in the latter part of 1945. In 1955, he became the Associated Press bureau chief in Pittsburgh, and assumed a similar position in Louisville, Ky., in 1959. He moved to the Associated Press central desk in New York, N.Y., in 1964, and served there until his retirement in 1977. He was an active participant in the AP Credit Union and was an officer for many years. His newspaper career took him into local, state and national political arenas and he covered the National Conventions of both political parties. A sports enthusiast, he faithfully attended his children's athletic contests and was an avid golfer. He was a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and reported on many National Football League games in the 1940s and 1950s. He also was a member of Sigma Delta Chi, the national journalism fraternity. He and his wife were longtime residents of Metuchen, N.J., where he was an active member of St. Francis Cathedral, serving as a lector and commentator. He was a member of the American Legion Fugel Hummer Post 65, Metuchen, and participated in many Veteran's Day and Memorial Day parades. He is predeceased by his parents; his wife, Elizabeth Dresser Welsh; sisters, Eleanor McGeehan, Mary Lyons and Jean Neiderheiser; son-in-law, John Bradley; and a grandson, Johnny Bradley. He was the patriarch of a large and devoted family. Survivors include his son, Charles A. Welsh III "Buck," and his wife, Joan, Stuarts Draft, Va.; a daughter, Elizabeth Bradley, Metuchen, N.J.; a son, Francis Welsh, and his wife, Maria, Daytona Beach, Fla.; a sister, Margaret Lutz, Brick, N.J.; a cousin, Richard Welsh, and his wife, Rita, Downingtown; 14 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. A consummate family man, he was a dedicated caregiver to his wife who suffered from a lengthy and debilitating condition in her later years. Funeral service will take place Thursday, June 26, 2008, at Costello-Runyon Funeral Home, 568 Middlesex Ave. (Route 27), Metuchen, followed by a funeral Mass at St. Francis Cathedral, Metuchen. Active pallbearers will be his grandchildren. A funeral Mass also will be held Saturday, June 28, 2008, at 9 a.m. at St. Peter Catholic Church, Somerset, followed by interment at Somerset Memorial Park, Somerset. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Francis Cathedral, 32 Elm St., Metuchen, N.J. 08840. Arrangements under the direction of Robert H. Halverson Funeral Home, Somerset.
Published in the Johnstown Tribune Democrat from 6/25/2008 - 6/26/2008.