Warren William Rothmann

Warren William Rothmann, 94, of Venice, FL (previously of Simsbury, CT) died on November 22. He was born in Mount Vernon, NY, son of Katharine (Weber) and William J. Rothmann. He was active in Scouting, achieving Eagle Scout and inducted into The Order of the Arrow. He graduated high school from Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach, NJ. Soon after, he earned a Presidential appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. At Annapolis, he played three years on the Navy varsity soccer team, was President of the chess club for two years and qualified as a Spanish interpreter. He graduated in 1951 with distinction and was second in command of the entire brigade of over 4,000 Midshipmen.

Warren was appointed Chief Engineer while still an Ensign. His first assignment with the Navy was to help take the destroyer, USS McCord, out of "mothballs" for the Korean War. He became interested in submarines and was appointed Chief Engineer on the USS Bergall submarine for three years. When Warren submitted his resignation from the Navy, Admiral Rickover assigned him to the USS Nautilus submarine, the only atomic submarine at that time, trying to change his mind.

In 1955, he married Janet Bolles. Warren resigned from the Navy in 1956 and joined Carrier Corporation. After earning his MBA at Syracuse University, he and Janet settled in Simsbury, CT. He spent 28 years with the Carrier distributor, the last ten years as Vice President. The company achieved the highest share of market of all distributors in the country during this time. He was very active in the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), serving as President of the Connecticut chapter. In 1988, he started his own business with his son Douglas, and retired in 1999.

He moved to Venice, FL and enjoyed golf, racquetball, fishing, traveling, bridge and spending time with family and friends. He was a member of the Sailfish Base, a submarine veterans society and was active in the Sarasota chapter of the United States Naval Academy Association and the United States Naval Academy Foundation. Warren was a lifelong athlete, teaching his children a love of the outdoors. He will be remembered for his unflagging exuberance and commitment to a job well done.

He is predeceased by his parents and former wife Janet Rothmann. Warren is survived by his longtime partner and fiance, Ilze Willison, his sister Joan Craven, along with his four children: Kimberly Johnson (Eric), Bonita Rothmann, Douglas Rothmann (Margot) and Peter Rothmann; eight grandchildren; Jared Rothmann (Jessica), Kevin Johnson (Erin), Luke Johnson, Tucker Rothmann (Michaela), Oliver Rothmann, Sawyer Rothmann, Enya Goehring and Aidan Goehring; and three great grandchildren.

A Memorial and Celebration of Life will be held on Friday December 30th at 11:00 AM at The First Church of Christ, Palmer Hall, 689 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT.