John Morgan Welch of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, died peacefully on December 10, 2016 at age 97. Morgan, as he was known by all, was born on May 19, 1919 in Searcy, AR to Fredric B. and Marguerite Morgan Welch. Following the death of his father in 1932, Morgan experienced the hardships of the Great Depression. To help his family he worked many jobs for his hometown newspaper, inspiring him to a long career in journalism. In 1941, with war looming, Morgan enlisted in the army, graduated from OCS and was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. Taking advantage of a few days' leave, he married the love of his life, Mary Jane Powell, with whom he shared a wonderful life until her death in 2010. Morgan's division landed on Utah Beach on D-Day and later participated in the liberation of Paris and many of the bloodiest battles in Europe, including the Battle of the Bulge. During the Bulge, his platoon was surrounded by Germans for four days before escaping in the middle of the night. Following VE-Day Morgan served as a military governor in occupied Germany. For his wartime service, he received two bronze stars and was awarded the Legion d'Honneur, France's highest honor. Upon returning home, Morgan enrolled in Northwestern University, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Medill School of Journalism. He then accepted a position with the DeLand Sun News in DeLand, FL, where he spent his entire 35-year career, first as editor and then as publisher. He was president of the Florida Newspaper Publishers Association, a leader of the DeLand Chamber of Commerce, president of the DeLand Rotary Club, founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Daytona Beach Junior College (now Daytona State College) and a founding trustee of the University of Central Florida, among other leadership roles. In the early sixties, he was a leader in the successful fight to prevent the county seat from being moved from DeLand. Morgan was a longtime director of the Barnett Bank of Volusia County (now Bank of America) and was an adjunct professor at Stetson University, where he earned a master's degree in history. After retirement, Morgan and Mary Jane divided their time between New Smyrna Beach and their mountain house in North Carolina. He loved ocean voyages and sailed on all of the famous Cunard "Queens." He also loved golf, tennis, swimming and reading and had an extensive library accumulated over a lifetime. Most of all, he loved his family. A generous, kind and loving husband, father and grandfather, he was especially delighted this year by the birth of a great-granddaughter. He is greatly missed. Morgan is survived by his sister Frances Welch Farrell, Brinkley, AR; his step-sister Gene Booth Pierce, Searcy, AR; his children, John Morgan Welch, Jr., Decatur, GA and Jane Welch Monetti, New Smyrna Beach, FL; his grandchildren Andrew Powell Welch, Jacksonville, FL, Matthew Taylor Welch, Graham, NC, Thomas Monetti, Lakeland, FL and Steven Monetti (Amy), Louisville, CO; and great-granddaughter Emily Morgan Monetti, Louisville. Morgan's family will host a reception and celebration of his life on Thursday, Dec. 22, from 4:30-7:30 PM at Holiday Cove South, Unit L-7, 1111 Hill Street, New Smyrna Beach, FL (casual dress). In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that his friends make a donation to their favorite charity. Online condolences may be offered through Allen-Summerhill Funeral Homes at www.allensummerhillfuneralhome.com.