Robert Welch - Obituary

obert Allan "Bob" Welch, 73, a resident of Edgewater, MD and Rehoboth Beach, DE, died on Thursday, March 31, 2016 at Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital after a 4-month illness. Born on August 18, 1942 in Wilkes Barre, PA to the late Harold and Mary Allan Welch, Bob earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Wilkes University and a Master of Science degree in administration from the George Washington University. From 1963 to 1968, Bob served in the U.S. Army reserves. In 1968, Bob began a successful 31-year Federal Government career at the Washington Navy Yard. He also worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture before transferring to the U.S. Department of the Treasury where he became the Department's Senior Procurement Executive. He later held the same position at the U.S. Department of Commerce. During his career, Bob held leadership positions on several intra-governmental agency groups, such as Director of the Procurement Roundtable and Chief Acquisition Officer of SAGE (Strategic Advisors to Government). He also served on the National Contract Management Association's Board of Advisors and founded the Procurement Executives Association, a close-knit group of civilian agency Senior Procurement Executives that was an active change-agent during the latter years of Bob's Federal career. Bob received multiple awards during his Federal service including: two Presidential Rank Awards, the Vice President's Hammer Award for reinventing procurement at the Treasury Department, the Secretary of the Treasury Award, and the Department of Commerce's Gold and Silver Medal Awards, the highest honors in that Department. After retirement, Bob entered private industry and, from 1999 to 2008, was a partner at ASI Government. Bob enjoyed reading, fishing, traveling with his wife, spending time with his family and at his Rehoboth Beach house. In addition to his parents, Bob was preceded in death by his son, Robert Allan Welch, Jr. and his stepdaughter, Shelley Alion. He is survived by his loving wife of almost 35 years, Peggy Welch; a daughter Rachael (Gary) Altemose of Exeter, PA; a stepson Russell (Sarah) Alion of Marietta, GA; and his grandchildren, William, Erica and Sara Altemose and Nora and Charlotte Alion. Friends are invited to celebrate Bob's life from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8pm on Tuesday, April 5 at the George P. Kalas Funeral Home, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD. His funeral service will be held at 11am on Wednesday, April 6 at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Church Circle, Annapolis, MD. Interment will follow at Lakemont Memorial Gardens in Davidsonville, MD. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Shelley Alion and Robert Welch Nursing Scholarship Fund, Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation, 2001 Medical Pkwy, Sajak 550, Annapolis, MD 21401. An online guestbook is available by clicking the tab on this page.