John Ludwig Welaj

1914 - 2003

John Ludwig Welaj, 89, a former major league baseball player and front office executive with the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers, died Saturday, Sept. 13, 2003, at an Arlington assisted-living center.

Funeral: 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, 1200 S. Davis Dr. Burial: Moore Memorial Gardens, 1219 N. Davis Drive. Visitation: 4 p.m. Tuesday at Moore Funeral Home Chapel, 4216 S. Bowen Road (at I-20), followed by rosary at 6:30 p.m. and a prayer vigil at 7 p.m.

Johnny “Legs” Welaj was born in Moss Creek, Pa., May 27, 1914. He grew up in Manville, N.J., and was a three-sport athlete at Bound Brook (N.J.) High School. John played semi-pro and minor league baseball before joining the Washington Senators in 1939. In 1943, he played for the Philadelphia Athletics and then served for two years with the U.S. Army in the Philippines and New Guinea.

Upon returning from the service, John played with the Louisville Colonels, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Royals, who won the International League pennant in 1951. After his playing career, he was a coach for the Havana Kings and managed minor league clubs in Hagerstown, Md., Erie, Penn., and Midland.

He joined the Washington Senators front office staff in 1957 as sales and promotions director. When the Senators moved to Arlington in 1971, he moved with the franchise and was instrumental in helping the Rangers get established in Texas. In 1973 he became director of stadium operations and remained with the organization until his retirement as a full-time employee in 1984. After he formally retired at the age of 70, John became the Rangers’ Spring Training Director in Pompano Beach and Port Charlotte, Fla., from 1985 to 1999.

During his more than 60 years in professional baseball, John received many awards for his outstanding contributions to the game as a player, coach, manager and executive.

The family wishes to thank the staff of Autumn Leaves for the loving care and support they provided to John and his daughter during the last year and a half of his life.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Pauline; brothers, Anthony of Bound Brook, N.J. and Walter of Manville, N.J.

Survivors: Daughter, Janet Welaj Klaer and husband, David, both of Stamford, Conn.; Bob Kubiak and wife, Donna, who adopted John and his wife, Pauline, as parents and grandparents when they came to Texas 32 years ago; brother, Louis Welaj and wife, Janet, both of Littleton, Colo.; sister, Helen Ward of Lavalette, N.J.; sister-in-law, Nancy Welaj of Bound Brook, N.J.; nieces, Louisa Batiuchok and Janis VonRueden, both of Littleton, Colo., Maxine Lane of Santa Cruz, Calif., Beverly Welaj of Somerset, N.J. and Patricia Zak of Hampton Bays, N.Y.; nephews, Bill Ward of Toms River, N.J., Bobby Ward of Lavalette, N.J., Bill Welaj of Hillsborough, N.J. and John Welaj of Vail, Colo.