William D. Welch Sr.

Bill is survived by his wife of 68 years, Peggy Moss Welch, and his brother Charles. Also surviving are his two sons; Doug (with wife Kathy) Welch, and David (with wife Debbie) Welch; and grandson Will Welch. Bill had two brothers that preceded him; Benny and Richard.

Bill was born in West Tennessee and served as a Marine in the Pacific theater in WWII. He saw action at Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, and finally Iwo Jima where he received the Purple Heart. After the war he took full advantage of his GI Bill and studied History and Law at Cumberland University, where he met his future wife Peggy. After they were married he continued his education and earned a MA degree at Peabody College.

After school he worked for the TN State Planning Commission for several years. In 1963 he became the first City Planner of Murfreesboro, and continued to serve the city as Planning Director until his retirement in 1988.

After retirement he and his wife Peggy, and their cocker spaniel Candy, continued their camping travels with the Airstream community, where he was involved in running the local Airstream club for a few years. Bill, Peggy, and Candy travelled on their own throughout the US, Canada, and Alaska over the next several years.

Bill showed Alzheimer’s symptoms in 2011, became homebound in 2013, and finally succumbed in 2016. Bill kept his good nature throughout this entire period, always smiling and saying Thank You whenever anyone interacted with him.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 16, 2016 at twelve o’clock at Mount Olivet Funeral Home. Interment will follow in the Mount Olivet Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be held prior to the service beginning at ten-thirty in the morning.