Russell H. Weldon, 89, of Madison, died Sept. 14 at the Connecticut Hospice in Branford after a long illness. He was the husband of 50 years to the late Marjory Munson Weldon. Mr. Weldon was born in Meriden on Jan. 31, 1923, son of the late Russell H. and Jeannette (Wingfield) Weldon. Originally a resident of Meriden and Cheshire, in later years he was a resident of the Gables in Guilford and the Hearth in Madison, where he found many new friends and especially enjoyed camaraderie and laughter during meals.

Mr. Weldon was a gracious man with a good sense of humor. He will be sorely missed by those whose lives he touched.

Mr. Weldon graduated from the Choate School in Wallingford in 1943. A veteran of World War II, he served with the U.S. Navy as a navigator on a destroyer in the Atlantic. After the war, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, graduating from the Wharton School of Business in 1949.

Taking a job as a traveling salesman, Mr. Weldon followed a career path with the International Silver Company, retiring as vice president of Marketing and Sales. During his tenure at ISC, he received many awards in recognition of his excellence and dedication to his profession.

Mr. Weldon was dedicated to the Lions. He was a member of the Meriden Lion’s Club, with 56 years of charitable service, and became a life member in 1993. During his years of service with the Lions, he was president of the Meriden Lion’s Club (1968); District Governor, District 23-A (1970); Zone Chairman; and Region Chairman. He was also named Old-Timer of the Year in 1998-1999, senior division. In 2007, Lion’s Club International presented him with the Melvin Jones Fellow, the highest award given to a Lion, for dedicated humanitarian services. Both the City of Meriden and the State of Connecticut recognized Mr. Weldon with official citations in grateful recognition of his service.

Mr. Weldon is survived by two daughters, Susan Weldon of Madison and Jane Weldon and her husband Morgan McLeod of Charlottesville, Virginia; a son, David Atwater Weldon and his wife Jacqueline of Lafayette, Colorado; three grandchildren, Joshua Wise, Sarah Weldon, and Jennifer Weldon Leonard and her husband Nick; and a great-granddaughter, Alexis Nicole Leonard.

Family and friends are invited to attend funeral services on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 11 a.m., in the Hubbard Memorial Chapel at Walnut Grove Cemetery, 817 Old Colony Rd., Meriden. Burial will take place in Walnut Grove Cemetery. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Meriden Lions Club, P.O. Box 2629, Meriden, CT 06450-1629 (funds will be earmarked for sight conservation), or to the Connecticut Lion Research Foundation (CLERF), 330 Cedar St., P.O. Box 9268, New Haven, CT 06533. Based at Yale, CLERF performs research into macular degeneration and other eye diseases. The John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home in Meriden is in charge of arrangements. For online condolences please visit www.jferryfh.com.