Obituary of Stephen Welter

Stephen Welter left to be with the lord February 8, 2009, just five days shy of his 90th birthday.  He was born in Arkansas City, Kansas on February 13, 1919.  He attended school and graduated there in 1937.  He went to work driving a semi-truck for a road construction crew and was there when he was drafted into the Army. Steve joined the Army in February 1942 in Leavenworth, Kansas.  As a private in the infantry he was sent to Mineral Wells, Texas for his basic training.  There Steve took an exam for Cadet in the Air Force and transferred to the Army Air Force and was sent to Waco, Texas where he waited 30 days for the new cadet class to begin. He was then sent to Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas and then to California for ground school training.  Next came Phoenix, Arizona for primary training, Pecos, Texas for secondary training and finally Marfa, Texas.  Steve graduated July 28, 1943 as a 2nd Lieutenant. Now a pilot, he was sent to Roswell, New Mexico for 4 engine bomber school and on to Salt Lake, Utah for replacement depot.  Steve was assigned to the 463rd bomb group B-17, and then to the 15th Air Force. He was sent to Dyersburg, Tennessee for the first phase of his training, then to McDill Field in Tampa, Florida, next Lakeland, Florida and on to Georgia where he picked up a new B-17 and flew it to Palm Beach, Florida. Steve's first orders were to fly to Trinidad, from there to Belern, Fortalaja, Brazil, Dakar Africa, where he met three high school buddies, on to Morocco, Tunisia and finally Foggia, Italy where a U.S. base was located.  Stevve recounts that in Palm Beach, when he got the plane, he had no idea where they were headed until they took off and the sealed orders were opened. At this time the United States was heavily involved in WWII and there were many bombing missions taking place of which Steve was part of.  He flew with the same crew for 25 mission, and then he was assigned new crews that came in green and flew 1 or 2 missions and then 25 more with the replacements.  Steve finished his tour of duty as a first Lieutenant.  Then he volunteered for one more mission.  His plane had two engines shot out over Budapest, Hungary.  After warning the crew to jump , when they had safely parachuted out, Steve piloted the plane until it reached a very low altitude and jumped out. On a July day, Steve found himself in a wheat field surrounded by German Soldiers.  They took him to a small room where they interrogated him.  Then he was placed in a pentitentiary for a week and then loaded onto a rail car and taken by train to Sagan, Germany, where he met one of his friends who he had played basketball with in High School.  At this time the Russians were coming towards the germans so they were moved to Nuremberg, Germany.  Then Patton's Army was coming from the other direction and they were sent to Mooseberg, Germany and from here Steve was Liberated.  He remembers when Patton's first tank came rolling through the prison camp and made a big hole in the fence.  Steve and a buddy dashed through the hole, found an old German Ambulance and drove it til it quit, started walking and were picked up by a US supply truck which took them to an airport.  There they were put on a mail plane and flown to Paris, France where the Military Police picked them up and took them to a hotel.  Steve was in Paris on VE Day.  After three days they shipped out of Le Harve, France to England and from there to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.  Steve remembers that when they were boared the ship for the US there were 400 ex-POWs and only 7 officers. He was appointed to be in charge of the mess hall and wound up having to cook for over 400 people.  From camp Kilmer he went to fort smith Arkansas then to Miami florida, then to Camp Blanding in Sarasota and was promoted to Captain.  Steve served eight more years in the Army Reserves. Steve returned to his home town of Arkansas city, Kansas, married Venita Palmer on September 3, 1948 and went to work for Benson Lumber Company.  In 1950 the company transferred him to the Sapulpa branch as manager where he worked for many years.  Then he bought Sapulpa Lumber Company. He owned it until he retired in 1983.  Steve served in Sapulpa as the Exalted ruler of the Elks Lodge, he is past president of the Kiwanis, he served as City Commissioneer for eight years. In the past 2 to 3 years he served as a Tall Grass Prairie Volunteer and was a volunteer for the Jenks Aquarium.  Steve has been a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Sapulpa for 55 years and has served there as deacon. Steve was preceded in death by his wife, Venita Welter and their only son, Richard Palmer.  His survivors include daughter-in-law, Barbara Palmer-Davis, granddaughter, Kim White and her husband Tim, grandson, Steve Palmer and his wife April, as well as 2 great grandchildren, Missy White and Brody Palmer. He was also blessed with a very good long term friend Thayles Cornwell. Steve lived at home with his granddaughter, Kim, her husband, Time and daughter, Missy.  He went to be with the Lord, from the comfort of his home with his granddaughter, Kim, holding his hand.  He will be greatly missed by all. Services will be held 2:00PM Friday at the South Committal chapel at Green Hill Memorial Gardens.  Reverend Bill Oldham will Officiate and the Sapulpa Elks Lodge will Provide an Elks Service.  The VFW will provide Military Honors.  The Family has chosen to entrust the care of the servi ce to the directors at Green Hill Funeral Home. Visitation: 9;00-9:00 Wednesday, February 11, 2009 9:00 - 9:00 Thursday, February 12, 2009 Service: 2:00 PM Friday, February 13, 2009 South Committal Center, Green Hill Memorial Gardens Sapulpa, Oklahoma Cemetery: Kansas