joemt
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This is a repost from "another site"... I'm thinking that TTLWHKR must be very busy, and was unable to post to both sites.... I just thought I'd pass on this piece of information to those who may not have heard yet...
I bought my father a computer two years ago. He was a retired Paramedic, I wanted to show him there was a purpose, and he didn't have to stop sharing his wealth of knowledge. The first site I showed to him, that's all he needed to keep busy. Between his love of collecting old ambulances and cars, my mother and siblings, this was where he spent a good number of hours. You knew my father as BandaidPatrol. He passed away on Saturday at Clarion Hospital in Western PA, of a heart attack. He was stubborn as a mule, and we didn't give him credit for it, but I think he knew it all, and there was no way it was happening to him. Flat out refused to let any of us check him out, wouldn't be caught calling an ambulance either. Few hours passed, he was in the garage waxing his old hearse, like he knew something. He came in from the garage and said to us, I'm having a heart attack. We called the volunteer ambulance, they came more quick than they would have for the President. Very professional, handled it the way he taught them. We elected not to ride along, he always told us, a family member should never treat another family member. I guess just before they arrived at the hospital he went into arrest, but was resuscitated, and he passed away at the hospital a few hours later.
When I get back home next week, and I get a chance, I'll scan the obituary and post it, if that would be okay.
Well, I just found this on the home's website, so I guess my mother had this written already. That was her job in our funeral parlor. She can make a novel out of a few tidbits. I thought she did pretty good, since it hasn't been more than 36 hours since she lost her best friend.
----- My father, like every male in our family, including me, had two first names, and then a middle name. I didn't realize he posted that his name was actually A. H. R. Welles. What the A stands for, even I don't know, my mother wouldn't tell me. I just know it isn't Alexander..
FOREST COUNTY — WELLES, H. Robert, SR.
The community of Seldom Seen, Pennsylvania is mourning the loss of one of it’s most well respected and widely known citizens. Rev. A. Hugh Robert “Bob” Welles, FD, 68 of this place passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at Clarion Hospital on Saturday June 3rd. Bob was the only funeral director in Forest County for forty-eight years. He was also well known for operating the Forest-Tionesta Ambulance Service from 1959 till 1983. There wasn’t a single person who was turned down, Bob would go out of his way for anyone. He will be missed by so many, in ways that one person cannot communicate to another. Bob was always there, and was responsible for helping to bring twenty three lives into this community. In the back of a hearse, the ambulances, on Joan Bellings livingroom floor, in the parking lot of the funeral home, and his own son, Alex, six minutes from the hospital.
Hon. Reverend, A. H. Robert Welles, Sr. was born on January 27th, 1938 in Sweet Grass Montana, the son of the late A.H. William Jefferson Welles, III and Elizabeth Ann Branson Welles. The youngest of six children, he followed in his father’s foot steps, and graduated from the Simmons Institute of Mortuary Science in 1958. His father was an embalmer for the Civilian Conservation Corps in Montana. When Bob was two, his family moved to a small farm in Seldom Seen Corners, a farming community in Forest County and took charge of the Welles Funeral Home in Tionesta. The Welles Family had operated the home since 1812. They began the ambulance service in 1927, after a train accident injured a boy, and there was no transportation to the nearest hospital, some 70 miles by road. The funeral home was asked to take him, and that began the service, which ran for another 56 years. There hasn’t been a single EMT in the region who didn’t have Bob as an instructor. He taught nearly 1,500 students to be EMT-Mast and EMT-Basic over fifteen years, including all of his children; four of whom also became Paramedics.
Bob answered his first ambulance call on July 4th, 1952; a community picnic was in full tilt, and everyone was out and about. But Bob had stayed home for some reason, and was on hand to take a call from a farm in Marienville. Joseph Larson, Jr. had dove from a tree into the farm pond, and struck his head. Bob, manning the ambulance, with his brother Will; responded in their 1948 Packard-Henney and successfully resuscitated the boy who had nearly drown. He was given a youth rescuer award by, then Pennsylvania governor, John Sydney Fine.
Bob was a veteran of the Viet Nam Conflict, a US Army Combat Medic. He served two years in country, he was honorably discharged in 1972 after being seriously wounded. Fortunatly, he made a full recovery, and was able to move on, despite having lost many of his close friends. He was to receive two purple hearts, and a Medal of Honor for lives saved while risking his own. He never talked about the war until nearly thirty years later, when he gave an interview to a Pittsburgh newspaper about a book he had written during the 53 years he had worked in EMS. The book was never published, Bob locked it in a safe, he said the early days on the ambulance were barbaric. Nobody should have to see or visiualize what went on when people suffered, and there was nothing that could be done. Bob had a way with words, that kept everyone in full attention.
In 1964, Bob was one of the first ambulance attendants in Pennsylvania to be certified, and held a two-digit EMT number for more than twenty years. Bob was employed by Gold Cross Ambulance and Royce-Donahue Ambulance for ten years, before completing his Paramedic certification and going to work in the City of Pittsburgh. Bob retired as a Paramedic in 2004, and stopped running with several local volunteer ambulances in April of this year. Bob spent nearly 53 years working in the ambulance industry, and 48 years in the funeral home. Robert was honored by the Pennsylvania Diocese for his years of faith based, and free funeral services, and given the title of Honorary Reverend.
Many asked why Bob worked so much? Well, he had to, he would say, with eight children, one has to be on the ball. Bob married the former Roseanna Greenly on June 23rd, 1959. The two honeymooned in Hawaii, and returned home, where both operated the funeral home. Rosy was the county nurse for twenty-five years. They were getting ready to celebrate their 47th Wedding anniversary, on which they were going to travel to Italy.
Robert is survived by his wife, Rose, at home; Sons and Daughters-in law; Alexander W. and Jennifer Ann of Galeton; William J. and Connie of Newport News, Va; Thomas C. and Annabeth of Sweet Grass, Mt; George H. of Wellsboro; and Daughters and Sons in law; Erin R. Welles Bennett and Aaron F. Bennett of Auburn, NY; and Melissa A. Thomas and Dr. Richard L. Thomas of Rochester, NY. A brother, William Jr and Julia Welles of Wilderness, Va; and a sister; Annabelle Welles-Masterson of Chicago.
He was predeceased by an infant son, John, in 1960, and his son H. Robert, Jr. who passed away as a result of an automobile accident in 1978. He was also predeceased by two brothers John (his twin), and Roger; and a sister Joan.
The funeral will be held on Wednesday, June 7th, at the former Welles Parlor in Seldom Seen Corners, with the Very Reverend Albert Austin presiding. Following the funeral, a private burial will be held at the family cemetery in Seldom Seen Valley. The family will provide flowers, memorials may be directed to a charity of your choice, in Bob’s memory.
Written by Mrs. Rose Welles, FD
I bought my father a computer two years ago. He was a retired Paramedic, I wanted to show him there was a purpose, and he didn't have to stop sharing his wealth of knowledge. The first site I showed to him, that's all he needed to keep busy. Between his love of collecting old ambulances and cars, my mother and siblings, this was where he spent a good number of hours. You knew my father as BandaidPatrol. He passed away on Saturday at Clarion Hospital in Western PA, of a heart attack. He was stubborn as a mule, and we didn't give him credit for it, but I think he knew it all, and there was no way it was happening to him. Flat out refused to let any of us check him out, wouldn't be caught calling an ambulance either. Few hours passed, he was in the garage waxing his old hearse, like he knew something. He came in from the garage and said to us, I'm having a heart attack. We called the volunteer ambulance, they came more quick than they would have for the President. Very professional, handled it the way he taught them. We elected not to ride along, he always told us, a family member should never treat another family member. I guess just before they arrived at the hospital he went into arrest, but was resuscitated, and he passed away at the hospital a few hours later.
When I get back home next week, and I get a chance, I'll scan the obituary and post it, if that would be okay.
Well, I just found this on the home's website, so I guess my mother had this written already. That was her job in our funeral parlor. She can make a novel out of a few tidbits. I thought she did pretty good, since it hasn't been more than 36 hours since she lost her best friend.
----- My father, like every male in our family, including me, had two first names, and then a middle name. I didn't realize he posted that his name was actually A. H. R. Welles. What the A stands for, even I don't know, my mother wouldn't tell me. I just know it isn't Alexander..
FOREST COUNTY — WELLES, H. Robert, SR.
The community of Seldom Seen, Pennsylvania is mourning the loss of one of it’s most well respected and widely known citizens. Rev. A. Hugh Robert “Bob” Welles, FD, 68 of this place passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at Clarion Hospital on Saturday June 3rd. Bob was the only funeral director in Forest County for forty-eight years. He was also well known for operating the Forest-Tionesta Ambulance Service from 1959 till 1983. There wasn’t a single person who was turned down, Bob would go out of his way for anyone. He will be missed by so many, in ways that one person cannot communicate to another. Bob was always there, and was responsible for helping to bring twenty three lives into this community. In the back of a hearse, the ambulances, on Joan Bellings livingroom floor, in the parking lot of the funeral home, and his own son, Alex, six minutes from the hospital.
Hon. Reverend, A. H. Robert Welles, Sr. was born on January 27th, 1938 in Sweet Grass Montana, the son of the late A.H. William Jefferson Welles, III and Elizabeth Ann Branson Welles. The youngest of six children, he followed in his father’s foot steps, and graduated from the Simmons Institute of Mortuary Science in 1958. His father was an embalmer for the Civilian Conservation Corps in Montana. When Bob was two, his family moved to a small farm in Seldom Seen Corners, a farming community in Forest County and took charge of the Welles Funeral Home in Tionesta. The Welles Family had operated the home since 1812. They began the ambulance service in 1927, after a train accident injured a boy, and there was no transportation to the nearest hospital, some 70 miles by road. The funeral home was asked to take him, and that began the service, which ran for another 56 years. There hasn’t been a single EMT in the region who didn’t have Bob as an instructor. He taught nearly 1,500 students to be EMT-Mast and EMT-Basic over fifteen years, including all of his children; four of whom also became Paramedics.
Bob answered his first ambulance call on July 4th, 1952; a community picnic was in full tilt, and everyone was out and about. But Bob had stayed home for some reason, and was on hand to take a call from a farm in Marienville. Joseph Larson, Jr. had dove from a tree into the farm pond, and struck his head. Bob, manning the ambulance, with his brother Will; responded in their 1948 Packard-Henney and successfully resuscitated the boy who had nearly drown. He was given a youth rescuer award by, then Pennsylvania governor, John Sydney Fine.
Bob was a veteran of the Viet Nam Conflict, a US Army Combat Medic. He served two years in country, he was honorably discharged in 1972 after being seriously wounded. Fortunatly, he made a full recovery, and was able to move on, despite having lost many of his close friends. He was to receive two purple hearts, and a Medal of Honor for lives saved while risking his own. He never talked about the war until nearly thirty years later, when he gave an interview to a Pittsburgh newspaper about a book he had written during the 53 years he had worked in EMS. The book was never published, Bob locked it in a safe, he said the early days on the ambulance were barbaric. Nobody should have to see or visiualize what went on when people suffered, and there was nothing that could be done. Bob had a way with words, that kept everyone in full attention.
In 1964, Bob was one of the first ambulance attendants in Pennsylvania to be certified, and held a two-digit EMT number for more than twenty years. Bob was employed by Gold Cross Ambulance and Royce-Donahue Ambulance for ten years, before completing his Paramedic certification and going to work in the City of Pittsburgh. Bob retired as a Paramedic in 2004, and stopped running with several local volunteer ambulances in April of this year. Bob spent nearly 53 years working in the ambulance industry, and 48 years in the funeral home. Robert was honored by the Pennsylvania Diocese for his years of faith based, and free funeral services, and given the title of Honorary Reverend.
Many asked why Bob worked so much? Well, he had to, he would say, with eight children, one has to be on the ball. Bob married the former Roseanna Greenly on June 23rd, 1959. The two honeymooned in Hawaii, and returned home, where both operated the funeral home. Rosy was the county nurse for twenty-five years. They were getting ready to celebrate their 47th Wedding anniversary, on which they were going to travel to Italy.
Robert is survived by his wife, Rose, at home; Sons and Daughters-in law; Alexander W. and Jennifer Ann of Galeton; William J. and Connie of Newport News, Va; Thomas C. and Annabeth of Sweet Grass, Mt; George H. of Wellsboro; and Daughters and Sons in law; Erin R. Welles Bennett and Aaron F. Bennett of Auburn, NY; and Melissa A. Thomas and Dr. Richard L. Thomas of Rochester, NY. A brother, William Jr and Julia Welles of Wilderness, Va; and a sister; Annabelle Welles-Masterson of Chicago.
He was predeceased by an infant son, John, in 1960, and his son H. Robert, Jr. who passed away as a result of an automobile accident in 1978. He was also predeceased by two brothers John (his twin), and Roger; and a sister Joan.
The funeral will be held on Wednesday, June 7th, at the former Welles Parlor in Seldom Seen Corners, with the Very Reverend Albert Austin presiding. Following the funeral, a private burial will be held at the family cemetery in Seldom Seen Valley. The family will provide flowers, memorials may be directed to a charity of your choice, in Bob’s memory.
Written by Mrs. Rose Welles, FD
I'm really sorry to hear about your father. He immediately stood out to me on emtcity as someone that really knew the industry and always had tons of great information. His level of knowledge was outstanding. I never knew that he had so much history and was one of the EMS pioneers.
