OBIT: Charles A. WELSH, Jr., 2008, native of Somerset County, PA

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WELSH, Charles A. Jr.

Charles A. Welsh Jr., 96, Menlo Park, N.J., died June 23, 2008, at the 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 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. (Bucky) Welsh III and his wife, Joan, Stuarts Draft, 
Va.; a daughter, Elizabeth Bradley, Metuchen, N.J.;  a son, Francis Welsh and 
his wife, Maria, Boynton Beach,  Fla.; a sister, Margaret Lutz, Brick, N.J.; a 
cousin, Richard Welsh and his wife, Rita, Downingtown; 14 grandchildren; and 
numerous great-grandchildren and 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. 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 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 Theatre 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 Philadelphia 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 1940's and 1950's. He was also a member of 
Sigma Delta Chi, the national journalism fraternity. He and his wife were long-
time residents of Metuchen, where he was an    active member of St. Francis 
Cathedral, serving as lector and commentator. He was a member of the American 
Legion Fugel Hummer Post 65, Metuchen, and participated in many Veterans' Day 
and Memorial Day parades. A funeral service will take place Thursday at 
Costello- Runyon Funeral Home, 568 Middlesex Ave. (RT27), Metuchen, followed by 
a funeral Mass at St. Francis Cathedral, Metuchen. Active pallbearers will be 
his  grandchildren. A funeral Mass will also be held at  9 a.m. Saturday at St. 
Peter's Catholic Church,  Somerset, followed by interment at Somerset County  
Memorial Park, Somerset. In lieu of flowers, donations  may be made to St. 
Francis Cathedral, 32 Elm St.,  Metuchen, NJ 08840. Arrangements under the 
direction  of the Robert H. Halverson Funeral Home, Somerset

Daily American, June 26, 2008