Welsh, Robert H. of North Hill, Needham, died peacefully on Dec. 22, 2017. He was 91. A longtime resident of Wellesley Hills, Bob was born in 1926 in Jersey City, N.J. to Walter and Annie Welsh. He grew up in Montclair, N.J. with his sister, Fanny (McCallum), and his brother, Donald.
He started college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at age 16 in order to complete some of his education before he was drafted to serve in World War II. During WWII, Bob served as a staff sergeant in the United States Army’s Corps of Engineers. He was stationed in Jacksonville, Fla., Lexington, Ky., and Fort Hood, Texas. WWII ended just prior to his anticipated deployment.
After WWII, he returned to MIT and joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He graduated in 1949 with a degree in textile engineering. Later in life, he studied at Columbia University’s executive management program.
Bob worked at the Ludlow Corp. for many years, and ultimately owned Ludlow Textiles until his retirement. He was married to his wife, Margaret (Stueck), for 65 years. The pair met on a blind date at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, and they were married in Middletown, Conn. in Oct. 1950. Bob and Margy had three children, Carol, Robert Jr., and Nancy Welsh, and five grandchildren, Peter (Ferguson), Parker (Welsh), Brian (Isbell), Scott (Isbell), and Katherine (Isbell).
Bob enjoyed gardening, home improvement projects, travelling, and being with his grandchildren. He also loved practical jokes, cookies, and butter pecan ice cream. He spent most summers at Grove Beach in Westbrook, Conn. at the family cottage, where he liked to sail, spend time with family and friends, and sit on the porch with his wife. He was a proud owner of multiple boats throughout his life, including Carona, Saltwater Taffy, and Pink Flamingo.
He was a member of the Newton Wellesley Hospital Board of Trustees, where he served as president for a time, as well as the Liberty Mutual Board of Trustees, the North Hill Board of Directors, the St. Mary’s Cemetery Committee, the Wellesley Men’s Club, and the Wellesley Country Club.
Visiting hours will be held at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St. (Rt.16), Wellesley on Thursday, Dec. 28, from 5 to 8 p.m. The memorial service will be at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 258 Concord St., Newton Lower Falls on Friday, Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. The burial service will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Bob’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, 480 Pleasant Street, Watertown, MA 02472 or to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) New England Chapter, 60 Walnut Street, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481.