William Leo Warrick

William 'Bill' Warrick passed away peacefully at his home in Winter Park, Florida at the age of 80 on July 15th, 2021. It is difficult to sum up such a full life in words, and even the long and impressive list of his many accomplishments does little to capture the exceptional man that Bill was.

Born in Jasonville, Indiana, his younger years were spent on a southern Indiana rural farm in a house with no running water and a single outhouse. He often worked multiple jobs throughout his teens, including a pre-dawn paper route, to help support his family. Bill received his bachelor's degree in Business and Economics from Indiana State University, Terre Haute. He also served as president of three different fraternities during this time: Tau Kappa Epsilon (social), Delta Sigma (business) and Blue Key (honorary). He later said, in retrospect, he felt he had participated in enough social duties during his college years to last him a lifetime. After college and his early work life, Bill joined the US Marine Corps and earned the rank of 1st Lieutenant completing multiple reconnaissance missions in the Vought F-8 Crusader during the early stages of the Vietnam War. He was offered a promotion to Captain but declined this preferring to re-enter the workforce and pursue his passion for building productive businesses.

His early business success began as an entrepreneur in the mobile home and recreational vehicle industry in Elkhart, Indiana. During this time, he developed his talent for successfully rebuilding struggling businesses from the ground up. By the 1980's, Bill bought the rights to use the Mallard Coach name and revived the company into a highly profitable business with multiple product lines. Continuing with this momentum, he bought Monaco Coach out of near bankruptcy and turned it into a thriving company in a matter of years. After the successful sale of both Mallard and Monaco, he founded Warrick Industries which included Goshen Coach, McCoy Miller and later R-Vision Recreational Vehicle company (which included Bison and Roadmaster). In all of his businesses, Bill delivered his clear vision of providing maximum value to the customer while also increasing efficiency and quality. Bill's untiring work ethic and intense focus, combined with his uncanny business acumen, led to his decades of innovation and leadership in the RV industry. He continued an active interest in business long after he left the day-to-day management of his companies in 2005.

In 1968, Bill married Susanne Jane Picha. They remained married for 24 years and raised four children together. Bill also relished his role as a grandfather and was loved and respected by his grandchildren. Despite owning and running several businesses, he was a devoted father attending important academic and athletic events for his children even when it meant arranging a flight just for that event. He was also known as a magnanimous host to many groups of his children’s friends at his home in Key West, FL. He often planned and cooked two meals a day for groups of ten or more including some of his signature dishes such as rack of lamb, special ‘baked potatoes’ and his ‘tuna melts’. While not a conversationalist, Bill always made time to talk with his children and grandchildren and share his insights on subjects such as politics, history, economics and relationships. His beliefs often tracked closely with a “live and let live” philosophy and he actively avoided impressing his opinions on others. He encouraged his children and grandchildren, and anyone with whom he spoke on this subject, to find and follow their own passions and march to the beat of their own drum.

He was an admirer of Ayn Rand's works, especially Atlas Shrugged, and embodied the popular paraphrase of Rand’s words in The Fountainhead: "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me". He carried the following quote from Rand in his well-loved Hartman briefcase: "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute" (appendix to Atlas Shrugged). He was an unfailingly generous man to those he knew well and sometimes even to those he hardly knew. Those who did know Bill well knew he had a witty and dry sense of humor. Never one for puns or Dad jokes, Bill had an understated wit, sometimes resulting in harmless, but elaborate pranks on his children.

He spent many years in the Leelanau County area of Michigan, called Key West, FL his home for more than three decades, making his final home in Winter Park, FL. In his later years, he enjoyed countless hours pursuing his love of reading, cooking meals for himself and others, just as he had for decades, and remained an impressive lifelong autodidact. He was an avid swimmer and continued this activity well into his 80th year. His enduring and immense generosity, quick and clever wit and inspiring business acuity are part of his legacy that will be remembered and celebrated among his family and friends for many generations to come. He is survived by his four children: Shannon Warrick, Bill Warrick and his wife Abigail Warrick, Brad Warrick and his wife Fabienne Warrick, and Jodie Warrick Konold and her husband Steven Konold, seven grandchildren: Porter and Thatcher Warrick Hess, Hannah, Jacob and Luke Warrick and Lily and Elle Warrick Konold and three step-grandchildren: Adrian Cor, Justine LeVan and Juliette Roy.

Bill will be laid to rest at Glen Haven Cemetery in Winter Park, Florida. He requested that no funeral services be held. Donations in lieu of flowers can be sent to Cornerstone Hospice (cshospice.org/ 2445 Lane Park Road, Tavares, FL 32778)

“He was a man, take him for all in all. I shall not look upon his like again” (Hamlet 1.2)

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