Rome loses an automotive icon
John Welborn dies from complications of a stroke at age 80.
It’s hard to tell how many Northwest Georgians bought a car from John Welborn over the last 40 years. Welborn, 80, died in an Atlanta hospital Thursday morning from complications of a stroke he suffered last weekend.
“My worst memory of John would be better than most people’s best memory,” said Jerry Lee, president of the Rome Rotary Club which Welborn was a member of. “He was a fine man, a gentle man and he always had a good word. He liked people and it was reciprocated.”
Welborn came to Rome from South Carolina in the mid 1970s when he acquired the Chevrolet dealership which was located where Starbucks and Olive Garden now sit. A couple of years later he brought the Toyota dealership to Rome.
After those properties were sold, both dealerships moved out to the Cartersville Highway. Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Hyundai vehicles were added to the franchise, and the Welborn family purchased the Ford dealership in Cedartown, which was sold off a couple of years ago.
“He shook a lot of hands and kissed a lot of babies,” said son Skip Welborn, who now lives in Columbia, South Carolina. “He was always active and out in the community.”
Gayland Cooper, retired superintendent of Rome City Schools, sat at the same table with Welborn during Rotary meetings for years.
“He called me Thursday (the day before suffering the stroke) and told me he was not going to be at Rotary again, ‘I’m just trying to dodge the flu,’” Cooper said. He was the kind of friend who would just call up and ask you if you want to have lunch. He always gave more than he ever would receive.”
Gardner Wright, another Rotarian who shared the same “seniors table,” said Welborn “was one of the nicest guys that ever came down the pike. He’s going to be sorely missed.”
“He spoke to everybody coming and going,” said Billy Johnson, another
retired businessman who also sat at the same Rotary luncheon table. “He got there early and he was probably the friendliest guy in Rotary.” Johnson said he bought his last car from John and his son Andy in 2010. “The two of them delivered it to my door,” Johnson said.
Welborn learned back in May of 2011 that he needed a kidney transplant. After nearly five months of dialysis, the family learned that his youngest son, Andy, was a perfect match. The younger Welborn stepped up in the fall of that year to facilitate a kidney transplant which allowed Welborn another six years of life. He barely slowed down and was active right until the time of the stroke.
Welborn is survived by his three sons, Skip, Keys and Andy Welborn.
Memorial arrangements are still pending.