Family, friends, acquaintances recall Welter’s local legacy

     “Lloyd’s life was a life ‘well lived’ and he was an example for us all to take action toward the purpose of our lives. In the end, he will be remembered for how he influenced our lives positively and gifts he offered in the form of his life by example. We are better for loving and knowing him.”

     Those words concluded Lloyd Welter’s obituary. Welter, a lifelong resident of Monticello, Iowa, passed away on April 9, 2021, at the age of 84. He left quite a local legacy that many who knew Welter, many whose lives were touched by him, recently recalled…

     Welter grew up on his family’s farm south of Monticello. He graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1954, and served in the U.S. Army from 1956-58.

     Toward the end of Welter’s service, the Monticello Express published an updated mailing address for him, Pfc. Lloyd J. Welter, Department of Army Signal Team, New York, N.Y.

     In the late-1960s, Welter, along with two other locals (Marv Jansen and Chuck Hagen) started a new business in Monticello that “dealt with the planning and construction of farmsteads,” Farmstead Builders, Inc. An article in the May 30, 1968 Express explained that the business planned to cover a multi-county area including Jones, Linn, Delaware, and Dubuque.

     In addition to assisting in the formation of farmsteads, the business also sold such items as Vinton silos, Cuckler buildings, Chief grain bins, and Clay equipment.

     Welter’s children and widow, Joyce, recently sat down with the Express and shared their memories of their father and husband, and also reminisced about his history in Monticello.

     The family said Farmstead was initially housed where Randy Shady Trucking is located today. A few years after opening, Farmstead ran out of room and relocated to the property that, in recent memory, used to be the Riddle building.

     “It was like a Theisen’s store with a flair,” recalled son Ron Welter.

     In the mid-1970s, Farmstead hosted a live demonstration at the Welter farm of “the new John Deere Level-Action Disk.” An ad in the Oct. 18, 1973 Express encouraged the farming community to attend.

     In the mid-1980s, Farmstead Builders came to an end. In 1986, the remaining merchandise and equipment were auctioned off.

     “Marv (Jansen) wanted to retire,” recalled Ron.

     That same year, the Welter farm was also sold.

     “It was a tough time,” added Ron. “We had the farm crisis in the ‘80s.”

     A business that catered to the farming industry fought hard.

     In 1982, 40 years ago next year, Welter started Welter Storage Equipment Co.

     “It started on our farm,” said son Bob Welter.

     “Lloyd would come in the house and do paperwork on the kitchen table,” added Joyce.

     “Dad’s office was in the sunroom,” daughter Donna Sauser also recalled.

     Welter Storage had several locations in the community. When the Welter home wouldn’t do, it moved to the area north of Carpenter Elementary School.

     “The story was,” shared Ron, “Dad was going to use half the building for the storage equipment business and half for RV/boat storage. That didn’t work out.”

     Needing even more room, in the early ‘90s, Welter’s rented space from Whiffle Tree Antique Mall to sell office furniture.

     Welter also bought a commercial building on 11^th Street, which is home to Horsfield Construction now. As he purchased this property, the building that is now Welter Storage also became for sale at the same time, then owned by Fred and Fran Iben. The 11^th Street building was turned into storage.

     Welter liked the location, now on Business 151 South, which used to be the new Highway 151.

     “The location provided good visibility,” Ron said.

     Welter added onto the facility for a showroom and warehouse space.

     An April 13, 1988 article in the Express featured the expansion of Welter Storage, which is literally a family business, and has been since its inception. When Welter was asked at the time why he got into the storage equipment and office furniture business, he said, “I guess I decided to get into something not everyone else was doing. It’s a business not everyone would want to be involved with.”

     To commemorate the business’ 25^th anniversary, an article was featured in the Express in November 2007. At the time, Welter Storage employed over 70 people, with numerous locations in Eastern Iowa.

     “Everyone works extremely hard and takes pride in the job they do,” praised Welter of his business’ success. “This kind of attitude is essential to the company.”

     Welter took risks in his professional life, and they paid off not only for himself, but the community as well.

     In the mid-‘90s, another of Welter’s community contributions started to take shape: Maplewood Estates (senior condominiums).

     Anyone that knows Welter has said he had many connections and always found a way to bring his ideas to reality. The senior condo project started when Welter traveled to Winterset, Iowa, to visit his daughter Donna, who lived there at the time. Welter saw a project coming together there, senior condos, thanks to developer Steve Reed. The two became friends and Welter soon pursued a similar project with Reed in Monticello on Maple Street, the former site of the Hoag Duster Factory.

     In April 1996, Reed hosted an informational meeting for the public and interested stakeholders.

     The project hit a roadblock in 1997 when the Monticello Planning & Zoning Board actually recommended the city deny the rezoning of the property due to some complaints by neighboring property owners.

     Then-Express Editor, Craig Neises, and then-Publisher Bob Goodyear penned an editorial urging the community and city council to support Reed and Welter’s project.

     “If Monticello is going to continue to grow, we cannot afford to fall into the trap of the ‘not in my backyard’ mindset suggested by neighbors of the proposed building…”

     Neises and Goodyear said senior condos would bring former retired residents back to the community. It would offer housing for seniors living in larger homes, and open the housing market to attract younger residents to town. It was also stated that the project would not cost the city a dime because city sewer/water already existed in the neighborhood.

     This “illustrates the value of the building that Lloyd Welter seeks to bring here,” continued the Express. They said it would serve the neighborhood better than an empty factory.

     “We cannot allow this opportunity to slip through our fingers,” concluded Neises and Goodyear.

     “There is definitely a need and there’s definitely a want,” Reed was quoted as saying in the July 16, 1997 Express. “We had a lot of interest before we even dug a hole.”

     By Aug. 1, 1998, the Maplewood Estates was set to open to new condo owners.

     “I had a gut feeling,” Welter said at the time to the Express. He added that part of his motivation in the project was knowing his mother lived on her own for 10 years following his father’s death. “She’d have loved to be in a unit like this.”

     When the Express featured the condo project in its 1998 Home & Building Issue, Reed praised all of the local contractors who had a hand in the project, as well as Welter.

     “That keeps the money local,” he said. “It makes sense to bring in local contractors… Lloyd has been great to work with.”

     Welter continued his community support in the early 2000s. The Monticello Development Corporation was approached by what was Swiss Valley at the time, to extend a gas line that started on Cedar Street. Swiss Valley had plans to install a new grain drying system. The project was to cost $132,000. The Development Corp., the city, Swiss Valley, and Welter himself all financially made it happen.

     The Monticello Food Pantry also benefited from Welter’s acts of kindness. When the food pantry was located in the basement of John McDonald Hospital, Welter Storage donated shelving units for the non-perishable food items. Then, in 2011 when the food pantry moved to its current location on W. First Street, Welter Storage not only donated more shelving, but helped with the move.

     From 2007-09, Welter added his name and support to a community and regional project that would help put Monticello on the map: Kirkwood’s Jones Regional Education Center. The Welters donated land toward the project in which JREC sits on today along Welter Drive.

     Kirkwood was housed in John McDonald Hospital and needed to expand. This project was a true community collaboration between Kirkwood, the City of Monticello, and Lloyd and Joyce Welter and family.

     During the December 2007 project announcement ceremony in Monticello, Dave Bunting with Kirkwood was quoted as saying, “This is the greatest grassroots, collaborative effort since the (community) college began.”

     Dr. Mick Starcevich, former Kirkwood president, thanked the Welters for their support. “… the Welter family, in a special way, made all of this possible. You have the thanks of Kirkwood, Monticello, and our entire region.”

     Just before the center opened in the fall of 2009, Welter and then-JREC Director Kristy Black were the grand marshals in Monticello’s Fourth of July Parade, honoring their commitment to the community.

     “He was a big promoter of Kirkwood,” Ron said. “It was a good cause. It’s a great asset to the community; it will be for years to come.”

     Black, now dean of regional Kirkwood centers, and Lisa Folken, director of JREC, acknowledged Welter’s “critical role” in the Kirkwood center.

     “His impact through the land alone is widespread in our community and across nine school districts, serving over 3,000 students…”

     Students earn free college credits at JREC. “The cost-savings to students and their families over the past 12 years is roughly $8 million, ironically the cost of the building in 2009. This was made possible thanks to countless donors, the Lloyd Welter family in particular, with that gift of eight acres.”

     Lloyd and Joyce also established an endowed scholarship through Kirkwood for Monticello graduates planning to attend Kirkwood. Folken and Black said this just shows the Welters’ ongoing support of education.

     Just as he was passionate about education, Weter was also passionate about local healthcare, and exhibited that through his support in many ways of Jones Regional Medical Center. Welter Storage office furniture can be seen throughout the hospital.

     “He felt happy to be involved,” noted JRMC Community Development Director Sheila Tjaden. “If people support projects, they want to support the cause.”

     Tjaden said as many connections as Welter had, when he was talking to you, you felt as though you mattered.

     “He had a unique capacity,” continued Tjaden. “He had the means to support so many things and had his personal interests. He had the ability to put those two together and form a unique combination for the community.”

     In 2010 and 2017, Welter assisted in bringing a new business to town and keeping another from leaving: Hardwood Dimensions of Iowa and Culligan Total Water. Welter bought a former hog-buying station on S. Main, which used to be owned by Cargill and built by Cuckler Buildings, and flipped it to house Hardwood Dimensions.

     Culligan, which was located on John Drive, was in need of more space. So Welter built a new facility on Business 151 for Culligan to remain in Monticello.

     In 2015, Welter furthered his initial project for senior housing and built several side-by-side senior condo units along N. Maple Street. In no time, the units filled up with happy owners.

     The Monticello Chamber recognized Welter at its 2018 banquet with a Community Pride Award for economic development. Welter’s children Bob and Donna accepted the award in his honor.

     “He provided opportunities for people and businesses,” said Dave of his father’s contributions to Monticello.

     Welter was a member of the Monticello Rotary and Lions clubs. He also lent his support to Camp Courageous. Charlie Becker, CEO of Camp, shared his condolences, “Camp was saddened by the passing of dear friend and friend of many, Lloyd Welter. Lloyd was one of those who, no matter where one went, someone would say, ‘You’re from Monticello? Do you know Lloyd Welter?’ Lloyd was very proud of Camp Courageous and would bring friends from far and wide to tour Camp.”

     In 1995, Lloyd and Joyce were recipients of Camp’s Trailblazer Award for their financial support, as well as providing supplies, shelving, and office equipment.

     Becker also shared sentiments and both former City Administrator Doug Herman and Great Jones County Fair Manager John Harms also reiterated: “It was always a treat when Lloyd asked a person to jump in his pickup and drive around town, visiting the latest and greatest happenings.”

     When Herman was city attorney prior to 2006, Welter would pull up in front of his law office.

     “He’d call me and ask if I had time to get together,” recalled Herman. “He was sitting out front, honking his horn. “Get in; I want to show you something.’ That happened a number of times.”

     Welter’s obit, and his family, makes mention of his love of the GJCF. Harms’ history with Welter goes back to his high school days. “We were farm neighbors south of town,” Harms said. “My first impression, the first time I remember being really impressed by Lloyd, was when I was showing cattle. He asked for my help in picking out a fat steer he could show in the Fat Steer (Prime Steer) Show at the fair. I was impressed that he thought of me, a high school kid, in that light.”

     Welter, again with his many connections, helped to secure the bleachers that the fair uses for seating on the track. Those were secured from Branson, Mo. Harms and several took a roadtrip to Missouri to bring the bleachers back. Around 6 a.m., they started disassembling the bleachers and drew the attention of law enforcement. Apparently there is a noise ordinance there before 8 a.m.

     Welter was also a part of many fair facility projects over the years, and never missed the annual fair kickoff party.

     “Lloyd was grounded and rooted in connections all over the country,” Harms said. “He had a love of the fair and the fair business. We’ll truly miss that guy.”

     “His gears were always turning,” Herman echoed. “He always wanted to know what he could do next. He was proactive in wanting things to happen. He took risks, and left a long-lasting impact to this community. We’ve seen growth in our tax base and more jobs. If Lloyd didn’t do it, it might not happen.”

     Now, we see the next generation of the Welter family carry on in their dad’s footsteps with their community support and contributions.

     “We all do what we can for the community,” Dave said. “We want it to grow.”

     “We learned it from Dad,” added Ron.

     “They see the benefit of living in the community and wanting it to do well,” praised Herman of the Welters continuing their support of Monticello. “It all goes back to Lloyd. They watched how their dad operated and learned a lot from him.”

     Welter’s obituary states, “Everyone lives, but few have the courage to really live.” As we see, that applied to Lloyd Welter. And the City of Monticello is better for the many ways in which Welter “really lived.”