Sterling’s Bill Boyd passes away

Boyd was president of Sterling, and continued to run the company after it was acquired by Kohler.

Former President of Sterling Faucet Co. William “Bill” Boyd, 87, passed away peacefully on March 22, 2014, at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz. Boyd was president of Sterling, and continued to run the company after it was acquired by the Kohler Co.

Boyd started out at Kinkead Industries, eventually becoming president. He left Kinkead to become a Group Vice President at United States Gypsum where he successfully built its home products division, among other things, through the acquisition of Kinkead Industries. Boyd and his colleague at USG, Dave Wright, left the company to purchase the Sterling Faucet Co. What became the Sterling Plumbing Group was later acquired by Kohler. He continued to run Sterling following the acquisition and served for many years on the board of the Kohler Co.

A life-long Chicagoan, who loved his city, Boyd remained active in retirement as a member of the boards of Elmhurst College, as well as Kohler and Cummins Allison. He is survived by his three children, Bruce (married to Beth), Keith (married to Margie) and Ann (married to Kurt) and many grandchildren. Boyd’s wife, Jan, passed away in 2011.

A gathering to celebrate Bill Boyd’s life was held at Desert Highlands on March 23 and will be scheduled in the Chicago area in late April or early May. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the William and Janet Boyd Scholarship Fund at Elmhurst College (190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst, IL 60126).