Related: Holiday World Loses Park President – Will Koch
Funeral arrangements have been set for Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari owner and president, Will Koch, who passed away Sunday evening at his home.
Visitation will be held at the Santa Claus United Methodist Church on Wednesday, June 16, from 2:00 – 8:00 pm CDT. Koch’s funeral is set for Thursday at 10:30 am CDT at the church.
“The Koch family is deeply touched and comforted by the outpouring of love and kind wishes from the public,” says the park’s spokesp
erson, Paula Werne. “They are grateful to the thousands of people who have reached out to them to share memories of Will.”
Born and raised in the town of Santa Claus, Koch attended Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, and was Valedictorian of his graduating class in 1979. He graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame in 1984 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. In 1986, he received a Master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California.
Koch, 48, was Chief Executive Officer of Koch Development Corporation, the parent company of Holiday World Theme Park and Splashin' Safari Water Park. Under his direction, the theme park followed an aggressive growth program including the addition of Splashin' Safari Water Park in 1993, The Raven and The Legend wooden roller coasters in 1995 and 2000, plus The Voyage wooden coaster in 2006, for which he was a designer. In 2004, Koch received the international Applause Award from the amusement industry; the criteria for the coveted award include foresight, originality and creativity, plus sound business development and profitability. Each year since 2006, annual seasonal attendance at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari has topped one million visitors. This year, the park premiered Wildebeest, the world’s longest water coaster.
Koch served as president of the Lincoln Boyhood Drama Association, which worked with the State of Indiana to reopen the Lincoln Amphitheatre in 2009 with a new drama honoring the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. He was also a past member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions; and he served on the Administrative Council of the Santa Claus United Methodist Church.
Koch is survived by his wife, Lori, and three children: Lauren, Leah, and William. He is also survived by his mother, Pat, and siblings Dan, Kristi, Philip and Natalie.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to the Lincoln Boyhood Drama Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or the Santa Claus United Methodist Church.