Don Welge, President/CEO of Gilster Mary-Lee Corp., dies from COVID-19

Don Welge, one of southern Illinois's most successful businessmen and one of the region's most passionate advocates, has died as a result of the novel coronavirus.

Welge, the President and CEO of the Gilster Mary-Lee Corp., the private label food manufacturer headquartered in Chester, passed away at about 4 a.m. Thursday in a St. Louis hospital, according to his son, Tom Welge.

Tom Welge confirmed that his father had contracted COVID-19. Welge, who is vice president of technical sales and general counsel for Gilster-Mary Lee, said the Chester office has had a number of cases of COVID-19 among the work staff and managers.

"We don't know how it got introduced into the office," he said. "I had it too."

Tom Welge said he has since fully recovered from the virus, but that his brother, Rob, is still fighting it. All the other employees who tested positive have since recovered or are recovering, he added.

As of Friday afternoon, the Randolph County Health Department reported 51 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those there are 18 active cases currently - 15 are people who are quarantined and are recovering at home, and three individuals are hospitalized.

Thirty-two former patients have been released to resume normal activity, and 235 individuals have tested negative.

Don Welge is the one death reported in Randolph County.

The 84-year-old Don Welge grew up in Chester and lived here his whole life, except when he went to college at Louisiana State University and when he was in the U.S. Army.

With the current restrictions on large gatherings of people, Tom Welge said the family anticipates a small family service, and possibly holding a public memorial after the restrictions are lifted.

The news of Don Welge's death shocked and saddened many in Chester.

"To say that news today of Don Welge's passing came as a devastating blow to the community is an understatement," read a statement from Chester Chamber of Commerce President Gwendy Garner.

"He has been a trustworthy and reliable pillar to Chester and the Chamber of Commerce, serving as a chamber director for decades.

"He staunchly supported the community through his kindness, his generosity, his friendship and his broad business acumen. I believe we have not begun to realize the multitude of ways in which the community and the Chamber of Commerce will miss him. We are shaken by the news."

Gilster Mary-Lee was a thriving flour milling company when Don Welge - a great-nephew of the original Gilsters - joined it in 1957. More than 60 years later, the company now has 14 plants in four states.

"We have a lot of sadness, but we told ourselves he had a wonderful life," Tom Welge said. "He got to do a lot of things in life that he wanted to do, he accomplished so much and he was around his family.

"He took the greatest pride in the number of employees, which was about 20 when he started and is now about 3,000."

Don Welge did more than run a successful company; he was also a strong advocate for economic development in southern Illinois and southeast Missouri. He went to Springfield to oppose the minimum wage increase, arguing it would put businesses on the edges of Illinois at a serious competitive disadvantage.

He urged the Army Corps of Engineers to move up the timing of the new Chester bridge, saying the region can't afford to have commerce shut down when the Mississippi River overflows.

"He was a very successful entrepreneur but a very humble guy, who appreciated all of the people who helped him build a successful operation," Tom Welge said. "He was an eternal optimist, he was energetic, he was devoted to his family and his church, and he was a big advocate of Chester. He had a lot of friends and he really enjoyed people."

Welge said Gilster Mary-Lee will go on, as much as it will miss the daily presence of Don.

"The business changed greatly in the 60 years he had it," Tom said. And eventually, in a post-COVID world, there may be other changes, but the family intends to stay in Chester, he added.

"He set a high bar," Tom Welge said. "We all know exactly what he expects us to do."