Sudden death of club chairman
Kirsty Gibbins • Published 19 Jan 2012 09:26
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TRIBUTES have been paid to the long-standing chairman of Ormiston FC, who died last Wednesday.
Married father-of-three David Welsh, 78, passed away suddenly at his Macmerry home following a long battle with ill health.
Mr Welsh, a retired builder and grandfather, was previously chairman of Pencaitland Amateur FC from the early 1980s and was at the helm when they won the Scottish Amateur Cup in 1984, its centenary year.
In 1999, the Pencaitland club merged with Ormiston Primrose, and Davie remained chair at the head of the new Pencaitland & Ormiston FC.
Eventually, the decision was taken to drop the Pencaitland reference in the title and carry on as Ormiston Football Club - although the backbone of the club remains very much from Pencaitland, where Mr Welsh was born and raised.
Ormiston FC issued the following statement: "Davie had bravely suffered ill health for the past few years but still looked forward to getting to our matches on a Saturday and will be sorely missed by all at Ormiston. Our thoughts go out to Davie's wife Margaret, son Gordon and family at this very sad time."
The club cancelled its away match against Coldstream on Saturday and plans to hold a minute's silence tomorrow (Saturday) when it faces Heriot-Watt at Recreation Park.
Fa'side councillor Jim Gillies, a close friend of Mr Welsh, said: "He was a great man, well-known and well-liked by many in the Fa'side community. He will be sadly missed."
His funeral was to take place yesterday (Thursday) at 12.15pm at Gladsmuir Parish Church, interment thereafter at Gladsmuir Cemetery at 1pm.
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