KINGSPORT, TN --- Franklin Hayes Welder, Sr., 87, of Kingsport, TN, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, January 25th, 2020. He was a native of Monroe County, WV, having been raised in Greenville. Frank was married to Delma Jean (Parker) Welder, also a native of Greenville, WV, for 59 and a half years. They were lifelong members of the Greenville UMC and enjoyed a long retirement which included frequent trips home to visit relatives and the family homeplace. Franklin was preceded in death by his parents, Rodney William Welder and Edith Virginia Bell (Cody) Welder; brother-in-law Leonard W. Humphreys; brother and sister-in-law Robert and Opal (Phillips) Welder; sister and brother-in-law Christine (Welder) and Charles Lively; and brother-in-law Robert Humphreys. Franklin is survived by three children, Lynette (Welder) Thomas (Jeff), Bill Welder, and Franklin H. Welder, Jr (Cathy); four grandchildren, Tanner Thomas (Alison), Kaysey Thomas (CJ), Luke Welder and Ethan Welder. He is also survived by sisters Aldine (Welder) Humphreys, Norma (Welder) Phillips (Sterling), Judith (Welder) Humphreys, and brothers Rodney Leo Welder (Julia), Ronald Welder (Carolyn), and Keith Welder (Nancy). Franklin was a loving father, grandfather, uncle and great-uncle with a large, extended family and friends network too large to list, but all of which he valued and were very important to him. He was an avid outdoorsman, a keen engineer ready for any new project, a lover of all things mechanical, especially model A's and Ford tractors. There was no ballgame that did not need his attention or commentary. His greatest delight in life was to see young athletes and coaches grow and develop on the ball field. He was a proud graduate of Greenville School, Potomac State and West Virginia University, where he obtained his chemical engineering degree. He traveled the world as a project engineer for Olin Chemicals and retired from Ecusta Paper in Brevard, NC. Frank was born on December 30, 1932, the fourth of nine children of the late Rodney William Welder and Edith Virginia Bell Cody Welder. A large, loving family dedicated to each other, education and their community and country. Frank believed in the importance of an education and that family should always support and strengthen each other. He felt strongly that the mountain traditions of family reunions and gatherings should be maintained and nurtured for the next generations coming along. In keeping with that tradition, the family will have a celebration of Franklin's life and his and Delma's nearly 60 years' marriage during the family reunions planned for this coming summer. The family will receive friends from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 1st, 2020, at the Greenville United Methodist Church in Greenville, WV. The funeral service will follow at 1:30 p.m. with Reverend Hughllyn Wilson presiding. Graveside services will follow in the Greenville UMC Cemetery. Pallbearers will be family and friends. Lifelong members of the United Methodist Church, the family asks in lieu of flowers, that donations, if desired, be made to the Greenville United Methodist Church, Greenville, WV – Franklin Welder Memorial Fund, c/o Randall Young, 323 Deep Valley Road, Lindside, WV 24951. Arrangements by Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Home, Kingsport, TN assisted Groves-Mann Funeral Home, Union, WV.