William "Bill" Lanoue, 1953-2021

William G. "Bill" Lanoue, 67, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, Jan. 15, 2021 at Advent Health in Kissimmee.

He was born July 11, 1953 in New London, CT to the late William and Florence Lanoue; he moved to Oldsmar, FL in his youth. He participated in scouting, was active in little league baseball, was an altar boy at church, enjoyed camping, fishing, and building model cars. In later years he enjoyed traveling and practicing flight simulation. He was a Tampa Bay Rays and New England Patriots fan.

Bill acted as a father figure to countless "adopted children." Benevolent with his time, he was a friend to all, always lending a helping hand or a word of encouragement. He was involved in different church activities and loved researching the Bible. He shared his faith with everyone, even expanding his ministry touch to those incarcerated.

He moved to Lake Wales from Tampa 40 years ago to further his career in accounting. Bill began his career with Kohl & Company CPAs on Jan. 2, 1980. As Vice President of the company, he would oversee the day-to-day operations and tend to administrative duties. He worked tirelessly to ensure the growth of the company and never stopped striving for excellence. Bill also had a large client base, several of which were life-long, being with him from the beginning.

He was a man of many talents but when it came to assisting his clients in business management issues, he was ahead of the curve. His clients always knew if they had an issue of any kind, they could call him any time. He made himself available 24/7 with no hesitation. Bill loved answering the phone at the office from time to time because he was a real people person. He loved to talk to new clients and by the time they left, they felt like they had a new friend as well as a new accountant. He was there to advise and counsel anyone he felt he could help whether he knew them or not. If you needed to talk, he was there to listen and give advice. He is already very missed by many.

Bill was preceded in death by his daughter, Jenna Waldrop. He is survived by his daughter, Leah (Dustin) Saiz of Winter Haven; sons, Nicholas (Jenna) Lanoue of Minneapolis, MN, and Will (Emily) Stafford of Blairsville, GA; son-in-law, Kevin Waldrop of Winter Haven; sisters, Sandra (Ash) Patel of Tampa, and Catherine Lanoue of Tampa; brothers, Robert (Michelle) Lanoue of Palm Harbor, and Richard Lanoue of Avon Park; five granddaughters; welcomed his first grandson in November; and had three nephews.

A viewing will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 at Marion Nelson Funeral Home at 454 S Buck Moore Road, in Lake Wales. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Jenna Lanoue Waldrop Scholarship Fund at Lake Wales Care Center (140 East Park Avenue, Lake Wales, Florida 33853). Funeral service will be graveside at 11 a.m., Friday, Jan. 22 at Rolling Hills Cemetery in Winter Haven with Pastor Chad Dedmond officiating.