In the late summer of 1977, a dedicated Pennsylvania State Trooper named Joseph J. Welsch tragically lost his life in the line of duty. At 26 years of age, Trooper Welsch was assisting a local constable in Covington, Tioga County, on September 13th. The officers were there to serve a warrant on a 28-year-old man named Mark F. Geddes, stemming from a dispute with his father.
As Trooper Welsch and the constable, Walter Mitchell, approached Geddes, the situation escalated with deadly speed.
Geddes opened fire, fatally wounding Trooper Welsch. Constable Mitchell was also struck by a bullet, sustaining a wound to his neck, but he survived the encounter. The suspect, Mark F. Geddes, was subsequently taken into custody and faced a murder charge for the death of the young trooper.
Joseph J. Welsch had a history of service, having been with the 109th Infantry of the Army National Guard in Scranton before joining the Pennsylvania State Police. He had enlisted in the state police on January 25, 1973, and was assigned to Troop F in Montoursville. At the time of his death, he had served the citizens of Pennsylvania for four years and eight months. He was survived by his wife, Jean M. Welsch, who was later presented with the State Police Cross in his honor. Trooper Welsch was laid to rest with full military honors at St. Thomas Aquinas Cemetery in Archbald.
