Born April 17, 1920, in a farmhouse near Baileyville, Kansas, John was the eldest of Patrick and Mary Cecilia (nee Schmidt) Welch's 12 children. After completing 8 grades in only 7 years in one room country schoolhouses, he attended Sts. Peter and Paul School in Seneca, and graduated from Corning Rural High in Corning, Kansas in 1937. He helped his parents by working on farms for a year. At the age of 18 he chose aviation as a career, finding that before he could enroll as an Aviation Cadet, he first needed 1-1/2 years of college. So, to fund college, he completed teacher training at Corning's Normal School, and taught at the Nemaha County District School No. 67, a one room schoolhouse near Vermillion, Kansas from 1939-1940, and followed that with another year of working farms in Kansas, South Dakota, and Idaho.

In 1941, he enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering department at Kansas State College in Manhattan, Kansas. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the military's college prerequisite was waived, so John immediately signed up to become an Aviation Cadet. He was called to active duty for training in March, 1943, and first soloed in August. John graduated as an Army Air Force Second Lieutenant Pilot on February 8, 1944.

John was assigned to a B-17 crew in the Eighth Air Force in England. Between August, 1944 and February, 1945, he copiloted 35 bombing missions over Germany, earning the Air Medal, six Oak Leaf Clusters and other decorations. One of John's published books, Dead Engine Kids, chronicles his crew's experiences during this time. He returned stateside and joined the Air Transport Command, where he ferried airplanes within the US before overseas shipment, attended Instrument Instructor's School, and taught other Air Force pilots instrument flying.

He was placed in the Active Reserve in November, 1946, and returned for the spring, '47 semester at Kansas State, where he met and fell in love with Alberta Doege, a Home Economics and Education major from Tonganoxie, Kansas. The two were married in September 7, 1948, at Sacred Heart Church in Tonganoxie and have remained devoted to each other ever since. They both graduated K-State in 1950, John "with honors" for his double bachelors degrees in Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering.

Beech Aircraft employed the promising young aeronautical engineer as a technical writer, recognizing his skill in the English language and foreshadowing his later accomplishments as an author of memoirs as well as technical publications. However, after only 8 months in this job, the Air Force recalled him to Active Duty at the Rapid City Air Force Base. John served as Engineering Officer and pilot for nearly 9 years, flying C-47, RB-36 and B-52 aircraft, while enjoying his and Alberta's young family of two boys (Carl and Kevin) and a girl (Theresa). His book, RB-36 Days at Rapid City recalls this time of his life.

He was stationed for one year in Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, Texas with his B-52 crew before being granted permission to attend the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. So, he moved the family to Dayton, Ohio and began working on his master's degree in Aeronautical Engineering, which he achieved in 1962. John then worked as a Research and Design Engineer, where he helped develop a fix for a B-58 problem that had resulted in the deaths of an entire crew.

In 1965, early in the Viet Nam war, John was assigned to training in the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog at Hurlburt Field, Florida, and to training in jungle survival at Clark Field, Philippines. In the summer of 1966, John, now a Lt. Colonel, was assigned to serve as Air Liaison Officer and Forward Air Controller in Viet Nam. He logged more than 800 hours in the Bird Dog, providing aerial reconnaissance and directed air strikes, earning him 14 more Oak Leaf clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Legion of Merit decorations. His book My Year in Viet Nam tells the story of that year.

His tour of duty in Viet Nam complete, he met Alberta and son Carl in Honolulu and returned to San Francisco on a cruise ship. After picking up a new car, they drove to Kansas to visit family before returning to Ohio. Back at Wright-Patterson, John was assigned to the Aeronautical Systems Division where he helped design the Short Range Attack Missile System, which became part of the B-52 armament at Ellsworth AFB.

In 1970, John retired from the Air Force as a Colonel, moved his family back to Rapid City, and started a new life as a civilian aviator, writer, and businessman. His business, Silver Wings Aviation, provided professional pilot services, flying instruction, air taxi and air ambulance services from the Rapid City Regional airport. In the 1980s, John also took over the many editor's duties updating the fifth through eighth editions of Van Sickle's Modern Airmanship, which has become a reference classic for aviators.

In 1988 John was pleased to accompany his wife Alberta, a USAF Civil Service employee, to Germany for her 3 year tour as Education Services Officer at Geilenkirchen's NATO Air Base. While there, John taught courses for Embry-Riddle Air University. When they returned to Rapid City, he continued teaching courses at Ellsworth AFB. In the mid to late 1990s, he edited Fait Accompli: A Historical Anthology of the 457th Bomb Group (H)- The Fireball Outfit, which is a history of his B-17 Bombardment Group, and wrote a book telling flight instructors how to teach people to fly, which McGraw Hill published as Flight Instructor's Pocket Companion.

He held all available ratings and certifications for single and multi engine land pilots, flight instructors, and ground instructors and logged more than 15,500 hours of flying time in his career. He thoroughly enjoyed teaching young people to fly and was a lifelong advocate of the flying profession.

John was a registered Professional Engineer in Ohio and South Dakota, and belonged to the National Society of Professional Engineers and the South Dakota Society of Professional Engineers. He was a Charter and Life member of the Air Force Association, a life member of the Disabled American Veterans, the Military Officers Association, Daedalians, the Eighth Air Force Historical Society, and the 457th Bomb Group Association. He was a founding member of the 28th Wing Association, a long time member of the Rapid City Rotary Club, an active member of the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce and the Senior Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). A lifetime member of Blessed Sacrament Parish, John was active in the Knights of Columbus and a member of Chorus Angelorum.

John is survived by his wife of 68 years, Alberta; a daughter; Theresa (Jim) Denning of Rapid City; a son, Carl (Christine) of Reno, NV; a daughter-in-law, Patricia or Reno, NV; three brothers: Merle, Claude, and Lauren; six granddaughters: Colleen, Katie, Tianna, Aureanna, Brieanna, and Chelsea, one grandson, Jesse, eight great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Patrick and Cecelia (Schmidt), his brothers Martin, Maurice, Donald, Cecil, Elwyn and Lillis; his sisters Patricia and Regina; and his son, Kevin.

Visitation will be from 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, 2017 at Blessed Sacrament Church with a Christian Wake Service at 5:00 p.m.

Christian Funeral Mass will be offered at 10:00 a.m., Friday, March 24, 2017 at the church with Rev. Bill Zandri and Rev. Brian Lane presiding.

Burial at 1:00 p.m. at Black Hills National Cemetery with full military honors rendered by the Ellsworth Air Force Base Honor Guard.

John's Final Bit of Advice:

"Don't weep for me; the Lord provided me with marvelous opportunities to know and love my family and many other people, and to serve my country with honesty and integrity. May He be praised."

Memorials have been established to the Air & Space Museum; PO Box 871; Box Elder, SD 57717 and to St. Isidore's Newman Center; 711 Denison Ave; Manhattan, KS, 66502.