EDWARD J. "ED" WELCH FORMERLY OF GRIFFITH, IN Edward J. "Ed" Welch age 87 of Sturgis, MI, formerly of Griffith, passed away Thursday, August 18, 2011. He is survived by his children: Kathleen (Bob Stark) Hoffman of St. John, Peggy (Dick) Schilling of St. John, Terrie (Gary) McDonald of Sturgis, Patty (Charlie) Watt of Cedar Lake, Julie (George) Mercer of White Pigeon, MI, John Welch of Florida, and Lori (Bob) Rastovski of Florida; daughter-in-law, Jeanette Welch of St. John; numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren; brothers: Leo (Helen) Welch of Florida, Tom (June) Welch of Griffith, and Dick (Shirley) Welch of Griffith; sisters: Dorothy (Leonard) Fiegle of Griffith, Rita Mount of Griffith, and Janet (Danny) Boltz of Arizona; and by his numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Therese, in 1999; son, David; grandson, Joseph McDonald; brothers: William and John; son-in-law, Charles Hoffman; and brother-in-law, Paul Mount. Funeral services will be held on Monday, August 22, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. DIRECTLY at St. Mary Catholic Church located at 525 N. Broad Street in Griffith with Fr. Theodore Mens celebrating. Burial will be at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Sturgis, MI. Friends may meet with the family on Sunday August 21, 2011 from 3:00-8:00 p.m. at the White Funeral Home located at 921 W. 45th Ave. in Griffith. There will be an afternoon wake service at 3:30 p.m. Ed was the founder of Welch's Stop-N-Shop in Griffith and St. John. He was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus Council, and the Griffith VFW . He a former member of the Griffith Chamber of Commerce and the Griffith Fire Dept. Ed was also a WWII Army veteran. In Lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Shrine of Christ Passion in St. John, IN. For information, please call White Funeral Home at (219) 924-4100.