Bill Walsh, Sr. leaves vast legacy in La Salle County

Businessman owned 7 dealerships, gave back to his community

Bill Walsh Sr.

Bill Walsh, Sr. wasn’t all business, but he sure did a lot of it.

Walsh grew a single Dodge dealership he inherited from his father into a seven-dealership business with 26 franchises through Ottawa, Peru and Streator and if that weren’t enough, he left a legacy beyond that.

Walsh died October 2022 at Pleasant View in Ottawa at the age of 83.

“He was a kind and caring person while being a very sharp, shrewd businessman at the same time,” said Mark Buehl, a General Manager at Bill Walsh Ford in Ottawa. “It’s a very unusual combination. I have nothing but respect for his many, many years.”

Buehl is one of many Bill Walsh dealership leadership that have worked their way up over many years: He started working for Walsh cleaning cars when he was 16 years old in 1974 and has been there ever since.

Ken Credi, the General Manager at Coronet of Peru, started with Walsh in 1979 and other than a few years away for another job, he’s been there ever since.

“If he wasn’t great, I probably wouldn’t have come back,” Credi said. “I wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t wonderful.”

Credi said Walsh had a tremendous sense of humor, with a wit that always had people laughing on the job.

The time that sticks out most for Credi is a moment he had to pull a Jeep Wrangler off the showroom floor having never driven a stick shift in his life.

“Bill came down to the showroom floor and I was revving it up just a little,” Credi says. “He tells me it sounds like it’s running a little hot. I tell him that’s the first time I’ve ever driven stick. His eyes almost came out of his head and he screams ‘What!?’ It was hysterical. I wish I had my camera.”

Russ Danko, the Service Manager at Bill Walsh Streator, said he recalls Walsh coming in and talking cars after he purchased the dealership in 1990. Danko was working for the prior owner and stayed on with Walsh.

“He would ask you a question and he’d already know the answer,” Danko said. “He was a car guy by nature. He loved them, and he knew every make and model.”

Danko said he remembers when the Cadillac Catera came out. In order to sell the Catera at the dealership, Danko took a trip to the Catera College. They drove a van to the sessions to learn all about the cars.

“We went out to dinner every night and I just got to know him a lot better and realized that he always had a joke for everything,” Danko said. “Just different stuff, a lot of funny things but you really had to be following along.”

Bruce Brown, the General Manager at the Bill Walsh Superstore, said Bill Sr. is the best businessman he’s ever worked for: When he started, he told Bill he wanted to make a home there and Walsh made that possible.

“He’s a heck of a guy and customers always commented on how nice and friendly he was,” Brown said. “He always made it a point to say hi to everybody whether it’s on the floor or just downtown walking down the street.”

The people who worked with Walsh all agreed he was a workaholic that put in a lot of hours because he loved what he did.

“He also loved animals,” Brown said. “He absolutely loved dogs and if anyone came in to get their car serviced or look at a car and had their dog with them, he’d tell them to bring the dog inside. He’d get them water so they had a drink while they were there. He just made everyone feel at home.”

Buehl said it’s because Walsh had a vision for what he wanted the dealerships to be. Back in the 80s when he was looking to expand, Walsh and Buehl walked through what was then a grocery store and what is now Sierra Motors.

“We walked through that store while it was still a grocery store and he described everything we were going to do to make it a car dealership,” Buehl said. “Not only did we accomplish that, but also we accomplished it in an incredibly fast amount of time.”

Walsh’s contributions go farther than his accomplishments in the business world, although his contributions there were many. He served on the Geeneral Motors Cadillac Division National Dealer Advisory Council and the GM President’s Dealer Advisory Council, and the Chevrolet Division Advisory Council, and many other councils. He also served on Lee Iococca’s personal advisory committee during his time as Chairman of Chrysler Corporation.

Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce Director Jeff Hettrick said Walsh was also a great civic leader.

“You always saw him involved in community projects, supporting things like the fireworks, stepping up to volunteer, and he was a chamber ambassador,” Hettrick said. “He won our Leo Parkerson Volunteer of the Year award. Everywhere you went, you saw Bill sponsoring activities. He donated his time and money to so many activities in the area.”

Hettrick then shared a story from a friend who attended the funeral.

“On the very bottom lower left of the casket, the family had them put a Bill Walsh Automotive sticker like you’d see on the back bumper of your car,” Hettrick said.

And then Hettrick had another story.

“I’d told him before my kids weren’t the greatest drivers,” Hettrick said. “And then one of them crashed a car and the first thing Bill said was ‘Is your son alright?’ I said ‘Yeah. Also? I need another car.’”

Ottawa Mayor Dan Aussem said Walsh was always the person who would step up to help the community through more than just economics. He helped provide cars to schools for driver’s education and was generous and interested in making the community a better place to live.

Aussem said he last saw Walsh at a scholarship dinner, where they ended up sitting next to each other. Aussem didn’t realize Walsh was the same age as his own father and they they were friends in high school, and they got a chance to reminisce.

“It wasn’t talking about politics,” Aussem said. “It was just talking about his youth and what it was like growing up. He sent me a really nice thank you letter after that and wanted to check in on my uncles. It was a very personal conversation.”

Walsh was active through the community in many ways: on top of being a Chamber ambassador, he was a long-time member of Ottawa Noon Rotary, former YMCA director, a member of the Knights of Columbus, Elks Lodge, Moose Lodge, Ottawa Boat Club, Deer Park Fishing Club and the Marquette High School Foundation.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, memorials may be directed to The Child Welfare Guild, P.O. Box 456 Ottawa, IL 61350, Pet Project, P.O. Box 163, Ottawa, 61350 or the donor’s choice.