Obituary of C. Robert Welsh

Charles Robert Welsh C. Robert Welsh, 89, peacefully passed away in the presence of his loving family on March 22, 2022 at home in New Port Richey, FL. The son of the late Charles P. Welsh and Anne O’Donnell Welsh, he was born in Cumberland, MD. The family moved to Baltimore, MD in 1940. He attended grade school at Blessed Sacrament School, followed by high school at Baltimore City College (Class of 1950), and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (Class of 1955). He was on the varsity swim team in high school and in college. After graduating from pharmacy school, he went to work for Sun Ray Drug Company. Later he bought into a partnership at Kriger’s Pharmacy in Baltimore. In 1963, he opened his own pharmacy, Welsh Drugs, in Ocean City, MD. Following the closure of Welsh Drugs in 1995, he worked as a pharmacist for Rite-Aid Corporation until his retirement in 2005. Bob “Doc” Welsh was a pillar of the community in Ocean City, MD for over 30 years. Among other ventures, the drug store sponsored a surf team during the summer of 1965 and helped out with the business end of the OC Marlins in the late 1980’s. He and his wife Jane helped found the Ocean City branch of the International Food and Wine Society in the 1970’s. He was a founding member of the Board of Trustees at what was then Worcester Country School, currently Worcester Preparatory School, in Berlin, MD, beginning in 1969. Starting in 1958, he was part of the Knights of Columbus, attaining his 4th Degree in 2001. A long-time lover of opera, he helped to facilitate simulcasts of performances from New York’s Metropolitan Opera Company to Ocean City. Mr. Welsh was noted for his sense of humor, always with a joke or a truly awful word pun that left his listeners groaning. He is survived by his wife Jane, (née Erdman), children Virginia (Michael Marano), Paul, Kathleen (Philip Heldrich), Patricia, Michael, Thomas, and Nancy (Gary Ryan). He has 11 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren.