Walt Welsh, 93, still has his game

By Gary M. Ayd
Posted 6/13/19

Walt Welsh of Middletown is both a World War II Veteran and probably the best 93-year old Horseshoe pitcher you’ve ever seen. Walt, and a host of other men half or less than half his age gather …

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Walt Welsh, 93, still has his game

Posted

Walt Welsh of Middletown is both a World War II Veteran and probably the best 93-year old Horseshoe pitcher you’ve ever seen.
Walt, and a host of other men half or less than half his age gather weekly, weather permitting behind the Grand Slam Restaurant in Circleville Thursday night for beer, food, fun and, oh yes, a pretty competive game of horseshoes.

With the top team winning some $1500 at the end of the season, the steaks can be high, but Walt even at 93 still remains competitive, his team currently sits in fourth place.

Welsh was born in 1925, the youngest of four siblings, with his two sisters having both worked as a nurses at Horton Hospital and in New York City; one of them living to the age of 99.

Welsh served his country in the Navy as a cryptologist, decoding internal messages for the allies. His time of service lasted from 1943-1946 and saw him spend the majority of his time in Cuba, with domestic stops in both Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.

In civilian life, Welsh worked as a butcher for Lloyds in Middletown. In fact, he still works to this day, mowing grass for local cemeteries a couple of times a week.

“I trained to do radio in school but never finished before joining the service,” Welsh said. “I didn’t want to go back to high school to finish my senior year, but my mom was really upset by that, so I went back and graduated in 1947 a year after getting out.”

Welsh was a talented softball pitcher in his day as well, once throwing a no-hitter. In fact, he nearly tossed a second no-hitter before his cousin got a hit on him in the 7th inning to end it. In total, he pitched 33-straight innings without an earned run.

A fan of baseball, he spent time as a younger man at the famed home of the former Brooklyn Dodgers, Ebbets Field and would often play Stickball, a popular street game at the time outside the old Yankee Stadium.

A native and lifelong resident of Middletown, he was married to his wife Shirley for 63 years prior to her death in 2011.