William “Bill” J. Healey, co-founder of Viking Yachts, has passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.
Healey died on 14 August 2025 at Shore Medical Center in Somers Point, New Jersey. He was 97.
Former president of New Jersey’s Viking Yacht company, Bill Healey founded the company with his late brother Robert T. Healey Sr. in 1964.
A statement on the company’s website reads: ‘Bill was intense and feisty, but beneath that drive was a soft heart and a deep bond with others. He valued his team with unbounded enthusiasm and commitment… A source of never-ending inspiration to build a better boat every day, Bill demonstrated his love for his boatbuilders by standing at the door every evening to thank and wish them a good night as they left the factory. He not only knew the names of hundreds of Viking’s carpenters, electricians, mechanics, designers, metal craftsmen, fiberglass workers and outfitters, but often of their family members as well.’
According to Viking, Bill Healey was ‘ahead of his time, designing a tri-generation facility in the plant to provide power for its electrical, air-conditioning and heating needs’.
He also invested in a $1 million five-axis CNC (computer numerical control) router to design and shape parts and components for the factory and the boats.
Bill’s brother and cofounder, Robert T. Healey Sr., led the fight that repealed the federal luxury tax on yachts in the US. He died in 2021, aged 92.
Bill Healey retired in October 2013, succeeded by his son Patrick.
Memorial arrangements for Bill Healey can be found on Viking’s website.
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