John "Beepsy" Clifford Welch (Col. US Army Retired)

WELCH, John “Beepsy” Clifford, (Col. US Army Retired) passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, September 2, 2015. He was born in Richmond, VA on July 9, 1949 to Joseph Jackson Welch, Jr. and Dorothy Smith Welch. He was predeceased by his father and his sister-in-law Alma Moore Welch. He is survived by his mother, his wife of 43 years Beverly Shaw Welch of Midlothian, his son John Jr. (Aymi) of Charleston, SC, brother Dr. Joseph J. Welch III (Anne) of Salisbury, MD, his special Aunt Carla O’Hare of Midlothian, VA, mother-in-law Frances Shaw of Midlothian, brother-in-law James L. Shaw of Richmond, sister-in-law Rosalie S. Sziarto of Jacksonville, FL, his nephew and nieces, Joseph Welch IV of New York, NY, Blair Fogle (Kevin) of Columbia, SC, Kristin Sziarto (Ryan Holifield) of Milwaukee, WI, Lynne Matson (Steve) of Jacksonville, FL, and great nephews Grant, Sebastian, Maxwell, Caden, Christian, Davis, and Cooper. He was a 1967 graduate of Huguenot High School and a 1972 graduate of University of Richmond, where he captained both basketball teams. At University of Richmond he was a member of Scabbard and Blade and Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He received his Master’s degree from Boston University. He was a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, KS, and the Army War College in Carlisle, PA. John proudly served his country stateside and overseas for 29 years. His many accomplishments are amazing and too numerous to list. He and Bev cherished the friendships gained from their many duty stations. After his military retirement he worked at Fort Eustis, VA as a consultant during the Iraq War. Following that, he worked for Paradigm Technologies at Fort Lee, VA. He loved his country immensely. After retiring again he enjoyed golfing at Willow Oaks Country Club, hunting, traveling, cheering on his beloved Richmond Spiders while tailgating with fellow fans, and spending precious time with his family and friends. Altogether, his laughter, smile, and optimism will be missed, though the sky overhead is so much brighter as he has lightened up the heavens above. Memorial service will be held Sunday, September 6th at 3pm at Woody Funeral Home, Huguenot Chapel, 1020 Huguenot Road, Midlothian, VA. Visitation one hour prior. Burial to be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to: Families of the Wounded Fund, Inc., c/o Village Bank, P.O. Box 330, Midlothian, Virginia 23113, Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256.