John Clarence Welton, Sr.

I was in an 9th grade science class at Moorefield High School when there was a knock on the door and a number of 10th grade boys entered the classroom to get into their lockers. Teacher/Principal Mr. John A. Mathias asked them where they had been and there was no answer, just nervousness exhibited by the boys, asked again Mr. Jack Welton spoke up and said very quietly and politely that they had been to John Coffman’s Old Fields Farm castrating lambs as an FFA Project. A chuckle covered the room and Mr. Mathias said that Mr. Welton had spoken appropriately and correctly he saw no humor in what Mr. Welton had said. Jack seemed to be such a very polite and gentle person with good manners, and I fell in love with John C. “Jack” Welton. We dated a little, then I moved, married, had three children, Donna Alexander (CW) Southerly, James (Cheryl) Alexander, Lana Alexander, lost my husband and met Jack Welton again Thanksgiving Day 1960 at my parents’ house. June 3, 1961, we married, he had no job, that didn’t matter because we were insanely in love, he was a new dad and this year 2022 we were married 61 years.

November 26, 2022, at 10:30 pm, the love of my life, Jack died after a five-month battle with Esophageal Cancer. He was the fourth son of Aaron Alexander and Eleanor Barnard Fisher Welton and his siblings were Eleanor (Philip) Wise, Mary (Joseph) Wilkinson, and Aaron Welton Jr. whom is survived by Rachael.

Jack went to Old Fields graded school, did not like first grade so he would leave school, walk home, pick up cigarette butts along the then main highway, thus started his tobacco habit. He would call to the school to have his best friend, “Sonny” Golliday, to come to his house to play; both boys failed first grade.

A 1955 graduate of the Moorefield High School, Jack was a four-year fierce tackle on the MHS football team, a FFA member, participated in high school plays and was part of the “Cleaver Gang Motorcycle Group”. He was a grandfather to eight grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and foster dad and granddad to a number of children.

We started our life’s journey by having John C. (Monica) Welton Jr. and Eleanor B. Welton.  Jack then entered in the Farming and Trucking world.  Besides raising kids, nieces, and nephews, he raised corn, hay, cows, pigs and chickens. The Trucking business took him ocean to ocean, border to border and locally, hauling cattle, sheep, chickens, petroleum products, heavy equipment, and food products. 

Jack was also very civic minded; receiving an Army Military Discharge, joining the Moorefield Lions Club, the Jay Cees that started the movement to establish the Valley View Golf Course, was a member of the Hardy County Farm Bureau, West Virginia Poultry Association, and opened his home as an emergency children’s shelter for the WV DHHR. He joined the rest of his family members as a 4-H All Star by working with the Durgon 4-H Club and furnishing transportation, gasoline, money to support the camping and travels of County 4-H members when they attended county, state and national 4-H activities, volunteered with the Tri-County Horse Club, and was active in the Hardy Co. 4-H Foundation Horse Adoption project for the Tri County area.

His early hobbies were reading daily and Sunday newspapers and trucking magazines, eating breakfast with the 6 O’clock guys at the Sunset Restaurant and working on farm machinery in his farm shop. Later years, he added visiting the stock yards, M&M Trucking, visiting young farmers in the valley to cheer them on in their farming accomplishments and as he said, “visiting old folks”.

When Jack got his diagnosis this June, he set the time he would leave this world with the goal of seeing three more Great Grandchildren born during the summer, eating a family Thanksgiving dinner and being able to see three celebrations of life the weekend he died;  the to-be-born in February Great Grandbaby’s shower held the  morning of the 26^th, Jack’s death the evening of the 26^th, with the knowledge that as promised, the next day, the 27^th  Grandson Jacob A. Welton and  Danielle Yokum would be married by Rick Bergdoll at Jack’s house.  All three were wonderful Celebrations of Life’s gifts from God. 

Jack enjoyed all the wonderful cards, food, phone calls, notes and donations that were sent to him during his Cancer Journey. Thank you all very much, Fran.

Friends may call on Friday, December 2^nd at Fraley Funeral Home Chapel between the hours of 9AM -7PM with family members being present throughout the day.

The Funeral Liturgy will be held December 3rd, beginning at 11:00 AM  at the Moorefield Presbyterian Church with Pastor James Yao and Father Dan Pisano officiants, followed with a lunch served in the church fellowship hall. Interment will be held at 1:30PM in Olivet Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Bill Martin, James Martin, John Weese, Hunter Williams, Kevin Miller and Roger Crites.

Memorials for Jack may be directed to Hospice Promise Foundation, c/o Grant Memorial Hospice, 100 Hospital Drive, Suite #2, Petersburg, WV 26847 or to a charity of donor’s choice. 

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