Ralph B. Welch

Moline, Illinois
Ralph B. Welch, 89, of Moline, Illinois, died Saturday, September 16, 2006, in his home.
Services are 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Celebration of Life Chapel at Trimble Funeral and Cremation Center, Moline. Burial is in Greenview Memorial Gardens, East Moline. Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday with a Time for Sharing at 7:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to American Heart Association or Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Ralph Buster Welch was born July 10, 1917, in New Windsor, Illinois, the son of Frank R. and Bertha (Brown) Welch. He married Mary McCallom on September 12, 1936, in Princeton, Illinois. She died September 25, 1990. He served in the U. S. Army in Germany in WW II, and received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He was an inspector at International Harvester Farmall Works, Rock Island, for 32 years, retiring in 1975. He owned and operated Welch?s Paint and Body Shop at his home on 47th Street in Moline for many years.
Ralph was a member of Doric Lodge #319, AF & AM, and Scottish Rite Bodies, Valley of Moline. He loved life and enjoyed playing golf and visiting the riverboats.
Ralph is survived by seven children and their spouses, Peggy and Virgil Meyers of West Liberty, Iowa, Gary and Betty Welch of Geneseo, Mary Jo and James Ivey of Hampton, Janet and Daniel DeRoo of Colona, Mike and Vicki Welch of Rock Island, Robert ?Pat? Welch and Jill Reeder, both of Moline; 19 grandchildren and their families; a special friend, Dorothy Reed of Cambridge; and his long-time companion, his dog, Rocky.
Share a story about Ralph or light a candle in his memory at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.