New Gretna, NJ – Bill Healey, the cofounder of Viking Yacht Company who helped transform a small boatyard into the world’s top maker of luxury sportfishing vessels, died Wednesday from long-term complications of a stroke. He was 97.
Born in Atlantic City in 1927, William J. Healey served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the final years of World War II, then earned a political science degree from St. Joseph’s College in Philadelphia in 1951. After working for his father’s steel company in Atco, Healey took a different path—one that would eventually change the face of American boatbuilding.
In 1964, when a small wooden boatbuilder called Peterson-Viking failed, Healey and his brother, Robert T. Healey Sr., stepped in. The two founded Viking Yacht Company in New Gretna, New Jersey, with a mission that Bill lived by every day: “Build a better boat.”
Under his leadership, Viking evolved into the world’s leading manufacturer of luxury fiberglass yachts for sportfishing and cruising, with a reputation for precision, quality, and innovation. But inside the factory, Healey was more than just a boss. He stood at the door every evening to personally say goodnight to workers, and he established a factory health department that offered free on-site care—a gesture that spoke volumes about how he viewed his employees.
“Healey was intense and feisty, but beneath that drive was a soft heart and a deep bond with others,” Viking Yacht Company said in a statement. “He valued his team with unbounded enthusiasm and commitment, often reminding them that they did not work for Bill Healey but that they worked with Bill Healey.”
Though Healey never sought the spotlight, his impact rippled across the recreational marine industry. The company he co-founded remains family-led and respected around the world, with thousands of Viking boats on the water and a loyal workforce still operating in New Jersey.
His legacy lives on in every hull, every deck, and every worker who ever passed through Viking’s doors.
