Richard ‘Rich’ Earl Welborn

NAPPANEE – Richard “Rich” Earl Welborn, age 92, of Syracuse, passed away following a brief illness Monday morning, April 27, 2026, at Goshen General Hospital, where he was surrounded by family members from the oldest to the youngest.
Rich was born on Feb. 3, 1934, in Fort Wayne, to Lundy and Victoria Nancy Judge Welborn. He was a 1952 graduate of Nappanee High School and served his country in the United States Army during the Korean War.
On July 18, 1953, Rich married the love of his life, Greta Bigler, at the Union Center Church of the Brethren in Nappanee. After serving in the Army, Rich went on to receive his undergraduate degree in education from Indiana University. He would later go on to receive Master’s degrees from Indiana State University and Michigan State University. Rich was a long-time teacher and coach. Over his career he coached track, basketball, football and wrestling at several different schools.
During his tenure at Niles High School, Rich served as the head football coach and spent 20 years as a teacher at Wawasee High School, where he served as head wrestling coach. Rich also served as the head wrestling coach at Warsaw High School and later coached the sport at Manchester College. He was inducted into the Indiana Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994. Throughout Rich’s teaching career he managed to have three of his five children, as students, in his government and economics class and he coached his son in wrestling. He felt his greatest coaching experience was when he was given the opportunity to coach wrestling with his son at both Wawasee High School and Warsaw High School.
Upon retiring from his teaching career, Rich went on to work 18 more years for Explorer Van Company, delivering vans all over the country. Rich, a long-time driver’s education instructor, taught hundreds of students how to drive. He became known as the family driver’s education expert, and all of his children and grandchildren were put through the paces of driving to earn his approval before becoming road ready. He loved living on Lake Papakeechie and teaching his grandkids to fish and hunt turtles, always asking them, “Isn’t this the life?” He loved to tease and rewrite words to songs and storybooks to fit whatever the narrative of the day was. Rich was always up for a family beach vacation at two of his favorite spots, Jekyll Island, Ga., and Treasure Island, Fla.
Above all else, he loved his family and his roles of husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Greta Welborn, of Syracuse; five children: Jennifer Baumgartner, of Ligonier; Cynthia (John) Ort, of Charlotte, Mich.; Teresa Welborn, of Cromwell; Tamara (Damon) Sollars, of Lafayette; and Jeff Welborn, of Syracuse; five grandchildren: Ashley (Tim) VandeKopple, of Ada, Mich.; Brandon (Stacey) Ort, of Troy, Ohio; Bradley (Lexy) Sollars, of Westfield; Katie Sollars, of Cromwell; and Macey (Jake) Jones, of LaPorte; six great-grandchildren: Graham VandeKopple, Jensynn Ort, Myles VandeKopple, Lawson Ort, Mila Sollars and Hadley Sollars and expected in August identical twins, Tatum and Madeline Jones; as well as, a sister, Sue Fioritto, of Elkhart.
Rich was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Stuart Welborn; and a sister, Ann Hoover.
Per Richard’s request, cremation will take place and there will be no services at this time. Arrangements are with Thompson-Lengacher & Yoder Funeral Home, Nappanee.