Gene Bernard Welsh, 85, of Decatur died in his sleep on February 24, 2009.
Gene, affectionately referred to by his family and friends as “Boss”, was born and grew up in American Fork, Utah. He decided to pursue an education in Engineering but in 1944 he was called up for service in the United States Army serving in the Philippines and Okinawa until his discharge in 1946. He married Barbara Stiburek in 1950 then graduated from Utah State University with a BS in Civil Engineering in 1951. He began his long career in Sanitary Engineering after receiving his Master Degree from University of California, Berkeley in 1959. Gene was employed by the Public Health Service and during his tenure he was moved to different states where each of his children were born until settling in Georgia with the title of Director of Water and Air Pollution Control for the EPA before he retired in 1974. He began a second career with the State of Georgia, EPD as Water Protection Branch Chief and retired again in 1985. During his retirement he traveled with his wife to sites in the United States and enjoyed time at home with his children and grandchildren. He will be missed by his family; his loving wife, Barbara S. Welsh; three sons and daughters-in-law, Douglas G. and Lynn Welsh of Birmingham, AL, Bruce A. and Mary Welsh of LaGrange, Gary C. and Alice Welsh of Roswell; three daughters and sons-in-law, Christy L. Welsh of Roswell, Jone and Doug Wilder of Sugar Hill, Melissa and Tim Bailey of Loganville; brother, Maurice Welsh of Logan, Utah; 10 grandchildren, Kristopher Birdyshaw, Parker Welsh, Dylan Welsh, Tiffany Welsh, Timothy Welsh, Kimberly Welsh, Graham Welsh, Jake Wilder, Luke Wilder, Tyler Moore; and great granddaughter, Kyla Somerlot Welsh. Funeral services will be held in the chapel of A. S. Turner & Sons at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 28th. Burial will follow in Floral Hills Memory Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the USO, P.O. Box 20963, Atlanta, GA 30320. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, February 27th and 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday at A. S. Turner & Sons.
