Arthur Atwood Welch ~ Born October 29, 1922, Departed September 8, 2012

Arthur Atwood Welch, My Baba, resident of Westminster-Canterbury, Winchester, and formerly of Purcellville, VA, passed away on September 8, 2012.  He was a little more than a month shy of his 90^th birthday.  Funny, it seems like just a few years ago we attended his 80^th birthday where he had his single malt scotch and his beloved filet mignon and we - my mother, me, sister (brother was in China then I believe), grandkids, etc. - toasted him.

How things change.  When he died, none of my family was there save me, my son and my granddad's nephew from Michigan.  My mother, my sister, my brother, his wife or kids.  There are reasons and that's fine.  What broke something in me...?  That other than a cursory, gee we're sorry, not one of them said another word to me about it.  Despite knowing what affect his death had on me, despite knowing what affect the last 8 years had on me, despite knowing - whatever they felt for him - that I had NO one else.

That's life, I guess.  And I'll get over it.  I just hate the hard place in my heart about it all.

But it "ain't about me."  It's about my grandfather.  The only constant man in my life; the only father/father figure always there, always loving no matter what.

Dr. Welch was born October 29, 1922 in Middletown, NY and graduated Middletown High School in 1940.  He served in the United States Army, Anti-Aircraft, from December 1942 to March 1946, where he was Fire-Control Electrician, Range Section NCO in charge.  He attended Army Ground Forces Control Electrical School in Chicago, and Anti Aircraft Fire-Control School at Camp Davis, NC; mastering theory, use and maintenance of the Sperry mechanical director, the Bell electronic director, data transmission systems, remote control systems for guns, and wire communications.

Dr. Welch received his BSEE from Union College in Schenectady, NY in 1950 and went on to work as an engineer for Sperry Gyroscope (Sperry Piedmont) Company, then as an editor at McGraw-Hill Book Company until 1963.

He survived his first wife, the former Marjorie Head, my Gramma, whom he was married to for over 40 years.  He is survived by his present wife, the former Gladys May, whom he married in 1992 and who is a resident of Westminster-Canterbury, Winchester.  He had two at bats and somehow managed to hit it out of the ball park both times.  We should all be that extraordinarily fortunate.

He obtained a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Virginia in 1964; taught high school mathematics and physics at Albemarle High School and was awarded a lifetime membership in the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, the highest honor bestowed by the National Congress. 

He moved from Charlottesville in 1966 to serve as principal for Warren County High School, was president of Lane PTA in Charlottesville where he had lived since 1956, was a member of Phi Delta Kappa professional education fraternity, and acted as an educational consultant on school desegregation in Virginia

Dr. Welch was appointed director of instruction for the Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia in 1970, published a monograph on student activism in secondary schools and colleges and papers on administration of secondary schools and student activities in desegregated schools.

He was awarded a doctorate of education degree from the University of Virginia in 1970 and continued to enjoy a long and prominent career in the field of education, retiring from the Loudon County School Board.  He and my Gramma traveled the U.S. after that until her death from kidney failure on March 31, 1992.

He is survived by his brother, Robert E. Welch of Traverse City, MI, me, his granddaughter, a great-grandson and great-granddaughter, 3 great-great grandsons, and long-time friends, Dick and Shirley Mann of Westminster-Canterbury.

We buried him on a beautiful, sunny, Tuesday in Hillwood Cemetary, Purcellville, VA, next to my Gramma.

I feel lost.  But they have been found.