Mentor, outdoorsman and Mohican River corridor preservationist Bill Conrad dies

Bill Conrad will be remembered as a mentor, a visionary, and a driving force in preserving and promoting the Mohican River corridor in Holmes, Ashland and Knox counties.

Conrad died Tuesday, Jan. 31, at his home along the banks of the Mohican River. He would have been 92 on Feb. 5.

Conrad was instrumental in securing state Scenic River designation for the Mohican River and Ohio Scenic Byway status for Wally Road. Parts of the road, which parallels the river, had served as a corridor for the Walhonding Valley Railroad.

He tirelessly promoted the preservation of the river and the byway as well as Mohican area tourism. Not an easy task considering the Mohican Valley corridor passes through three counties. Conrad drew on his diplomatic skills to bring disparate parties together for a common cause.

“He could cross boundaries where others couldn’t,” Rick Osborne recalled. “He had an ability to bring a lot of different people together for the benefit of everyone down here.”

Osborne owns River Run Family Campground and Canoe Livery. He has been a constant supporter of litter cleanup efforts, which Conrad helped organize.

Osborne admired Conrad’s selflessness. Conrad did not own a campground or canoe livery along the river corridor yet dedicated his life to promoting regional tourism, here and in surrounding counties.

“Everything he did was for the betterment of the whole community and our customer base, even though he didn’t have a horse in the race,” Osborne said.

Miranda Burrell, tourism administrator for the Mohican Visitors Bureau, remembers Conrad as a trailblazer.

“Bill was a pioneer in experiential tourism,” Burrell said. “He focused on engaging business owners to highlight our area's history, activities, and beautiful surroundings. Bill was always working to expand and improve our Mohican area to make it a premier destination for travelers, and for that, we are grateful.”

Bill Conrad was kind, dedicated to scenic Mohican area

Most recently, Conrad promoted the construction of the Spellacy Covered Bridge on Wally Road, a work in progress. Knox County Engineer Chris Young is spearheading the project.

Covered Bridge:$9.5M Wally Road bridge project is Holmes County’s biggest infrastructure job

“Whenever we had a project we were planning in the area, I always called Bill to spread the word, seek input, and organize meetings for the local people,” he said. “I know he supported the project and I was hoping he would speak at the dedication ceremony later this year. I know he will be watching from above with a smile on that day.”

He recalled Conrad giving him a tour of the scenic byway.

“Everywhere we toured we would stop and say hi to people along the route,” Young said. “I believe he knew just about everyone. And if he didn’t, he made sure to spend time with them and get to know their story and tell a few stories of his own. He will be missed not only for his dedication to the betterment of the area, but also his kindness and demeanor.”

Conrad’s visions will live on in other projects. That includes the placement of a sign marking the Mohican as a State Scenic River. Loudonville Village Councilman and close friend Tom Young said he plans to help see the sign project through.

“Many times we would meet at Mohican State Park to sit by the river on our favorite picnic table and talk for hours about the river and current events in the area,” he said. “This past year we moved to the Mohican Lodge for breakfast due to his declining health.”

Mohican State Park is under consideration as a site for the sign.

Young appreciates what Conrad has done and who he was, a friend and mentor to many.

“Bill was a great visionary for our area along with Wally Road and the Mohican River,” he said. “The designation of Wally Road as a scenic byway was just one of his accomplishments. Bill’s mind was impeccable and he never was afraid to tell you what he thought.”

'Bill thought outside the box before thinking outside the box was a thing.'

One-time Wally Road resident Amy J. Smith is also among those who considered Conrad a mentor. She and her late husband George previously owned Smith’s Family Campground (now The Lost Horizons Family Campground). She helped establish Friends of the Mohican River. Among other things, the group coordinated litter cleanups. Like most of Conrad’s projects, Friends of the Mohican River was conceived at informal gatherings on his front porch.

“He was such a great mentor to me,” Smith said. “He taught me so much about marketing and to never give up. Bill thought outside the box before thinking outside the box was a thing.”

Jeannie Sikora also helped with the Friends of the Mohican River and litter cleanup efforts. She and her husband Greg live next door to the Conrads.

“Words cannot describe how I will miss him,” Sikora said. “We've known Bill for over 25 years. He welcomed us with open arms when we first came to the Mohican Valley. He took us under his wing and made us feel at home here.

“From the invites to family gatherings, impromptu ham sandwich get-togethers, the special times when his white car would pull in the drive and we would have wonderful conversations on our porch, and the surprise deliveries of wonderful Amish doughnuts that only Bill knew where to buy.

“Every time I go outside I will think of him as I look at the beauty of this area. He touched so many lives and will be so missed.”

The magic of Bill Conrad and his love of the outdoors

Conrad, a consummate outdoorsman, was also known for his vivid imagination, which sometimes manifested itself in strange ways — including the time he built a 33-foot replica of the Matterhorn for the 1971 Cleveland Sportsman’s Show. Building the fiberglass replica and getting it to the show proved to be adventures in themselves.

His daughter, Gretchen Conrad, looks back fondly on the adventure that was having Bill Conrad for a father.

“Growing up with my father could be described as magical, except I didn't realize how magical it was until I was older,” she said. “We grew up in a great neighborhood in Sheffield Lake with lots of kids. My dad was the kind who built us forts in the backyard. He would come home from work in the winter and pretend he didn't know where all the snowballs were coming from as they pelted him from all directions — a complete ambush from the fort.”

“In the summers we took vacations that almost always had us camping our way across the country,” she recalled. “Every evening dad set up camp and he and mom cooked over the campfire. This was well before the days of pop-up campers and luxury motorhomes. These are the days you fell asleep to the scent of canvas and campfires.”

Bill Conrad and his wife Beverly bought their property along the Mohican River in 1971. Six years later, they moved an A-frame canoe livery building from Greer to their property upstream. Over the years, they added onto that structure and retired there in 1999.

Gretchen Conrad spoke fondly of her father’s influence on her life.

“My dad instilled in me a deep love and passion for the outdoors,” she said. “We spent countless hours hiking, fishing, and camping.

“My father was full of life and wonder. I never realized how magical it was until I had my own children and could only hope that I possessed that same magic with them. A magic that made him not only my father but also my best friend.”

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Mentor to many, Bill Conrad remembered for Mohican River corridor work