James L. "Jake" Welch age 87, died on Monday, June 27, 2016 at Divine Savior Hospital in Portage. He was born on August 10, 1928 in Utica to Thomas and Pearl (Knoble) Welch. He attended Gays Mills High School and at age 17, enlisted in the U.S. Navy to fight with his brothers during WWII. He returned to Gays Mills after the war and worked for The Independent weekly newspaper. Jake was married to Geraldine "Gerry" Johnston on December 31, 1949. The couple moved to Columbus where Jake worked for Town & Country Printers in Columbus until his retirement. Jake enjoyed gardening, fishing, square dancing and leisurely drives. Survivors include his two daughters Brenda (Vernon) Schultz of Cambria and Danielle (Kevin) Nelson of Montello; one son Shawn (fiancee' Pam Doorn) of Elkhart IN; eleven grandchildren Ron (Jennifer) Braatz, James Braatz, Timothy (Sheree) Schultz, Edward (fiancee' Debra Hasse) Schultz, Nathan (Autumn) Welch, Brianna (Shawn) Burrington, Heather Welch, Kyle Welch, Lindsey Welch, Kevin Nelson Jr. and Jacob Nelson; nine great grandchildren Brittney, Alannis, Sebastian, Gideon, Gwinny, Jasper, Chloe, Logan and Elijah; other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife Gerry in 1991; son Dennis " aka Strawberry"; daughter Jackie; two sisters Delores and Agnes; five brothers Tommy, Eddie, Dick, Danny and Donny. Visitation was from 4:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, June 30, 2016 at the Jensen funeral home, Columbus. Committal was held at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, July 1, 2016 at St. Jerome Catholic Cemetery, Columbus. Rev. Steve Kortendick officiated.