John P. Welsh, 64


John Payne Welsh, 64, of Taylor Spring Lane in Harrisonburg, died Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006, at Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg.

Mr. Welsh was born Nov. 24, 1941, in Lexington, and was the son of the late Julian Payne and Gladys Hart Welsh.

He received his BA and master’s degrees from Western Carolina University. He moved to Harrisonburg in 1968. He retired from the Rockingham County Public Schools after 39 years of teaching, with 30 years at Pleasant Valley Elementary.

Mr. Welsh was an active member of Muhlenberg Lutheran Church and served as a Sunday school superintendent and on the Church Council. His hobbies were reading, hunting, fishing and refinishing furniture.

Survivors include his wife, Judy Duckworth Welsh, whom he married Aug. 11, 1968; a son, John Payne Welsh II of Lexington; a daughter, Lisa Kanney of Harrisonburg; a brother, Dan Welsh of Lexington; a sister, Sandra Claytor of Lexington and three grandchildren.

The Rev. John Derrick will conduct a memorial service 3 p.m. Sunday at Bethany Lutheran Church in Lexington. A private burial will be in the Alone Cemetery in Lexington.

Friends may call at the Kyger Funeral Home in Harrisonburg. Friends may also call at the Welsh at any time. The casket will be closed.

Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 3025 Berkmar Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22901, or the Massanutten Regional Library, Literacy Programs, 174 South Main St., Harrisonburg, VA 22801.