William Bolton, Respected Local Insurance Executive, Dies at 77

The chairman of a major insurance company based in Pasadena died last Wednesday at the age of 77 after a long battle with skin cancer.

William Bolton, the son of the founder of Bolton & Company, was known for making a local and national impact in the insurance industry as well as his engaging personality, said Steve Brockmeyer, President and CEO of the company to Insurance Journal.

“Beyond his contributions to our industry, Bill was an incredible mentor,” Brockmeyer said to the Insurance Journal. “He personally taught me the importance of strong industry relationships built on solid ethics and values, and that’s something I live by today. I certainly owe any achievements I’ve made in this business to Bill and all of his mentoring over the years.”

Bolton, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, helped build up Bolton and Company out of a local firm into one of the top-ranking brokers in the country, and also sat on many boards of directors for insurance carriers, according to Insurance Journal.

Mike Morey, Bolton and Company’s Chief Operating Officer, told Insurance Journal that Bolton will be remembered for his charitable nature.

“He recognized how fortunate we were and he really encouraged us to help support others, whether it was the insurance industry, the communities we called home or local organizations that made a positive impact,” Morey said. He was an incredible leader, a wonderful person and he will be missed.”

Bolton first began his work in the insurance field in 1961 at Industrial Indemnity. Nine years later, he and and his brother took over Bolton and Company Insurance Brokers from their father, expanding it to one of the nation’s top insurance businesses.

Bolton went on to expand his career by serving on the board of directors of numerous different insurance companies. In 1999, he was honored with the Ramsden/Sullivan Memorial Award, the highest individual honor given by the Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West.

In 1991, Bolton married his second wife Linda Britton and moved to Pasadena. She told Insurance Journal that there was much more to him than just his work.

“He was a very giving person, he was a very generous person, he was just so well respected,” Linda Bolton said. “And he was the love of my life.”

A funeral mass is set for Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church in South Pasadena.