Arthur C. Tauck, Jr.

Arthur C. Tauck Jr., a resident of both Vero Beach, FL and Westport, CT, died on February 11^th at his winter home in Florida surrounded by family.

Arthur was born on September 7, 1931, in South Orange, NJ, and dedicated his entire professional life to enhancing people’s lives through travel.  During his childhood, Arthur’s family spent the summers in New Jersey and the winters in Miami, Florida, at a time when the city was much less developed.  He enjoyed recounting his early school days as the only boy at the Miss Harris School for Girls on Miami’s Brickell Avenue.

In 1950, Arthur joined his father’s fledgling tour company, Tauck Tours, as a summer tour director during his undergraduate studies at Lehigh University.  Upon graduation, he entered the United States Air Force as a Lieutenant and spent several years stationed in Germany.  He returned to the family tour business in 1956 and was named President in 1958 at the age of twenty-seven.  These formative experiences shaped a lifelong commitment to people, service and hospitality.

Arthur’s curiosity about people and their life stories gave him an uncanny ability to forge long-lasting friendships with people from all over the world and from all walks of life.  He was a master storyteller, with keen emotional intelligence, an extraordinary memory, and a great sense of humor. He believed deeply in “doing the right thing” with humility, integrity, generosity, and care.

Arthur was a true adventurer, embracing new challenges throughout his life. As a teenager he trained polo ponies and taught horseback riding.  He learned celestial navigation in order to pursue his passion for sailing and ocean racing.  An avid skier, bicyclist, golfer, and scuba diver, his personal passions took him around the globe.

At the time of his death, Arthur Tauck, Jr. was Chairman Emeritus of Tauck Inc., the 100-year-old travel company that he grew from a regional East Coast tour operator in the 1950’s to the leading global tourism company it is today.  Tauck Inc. now operates land, river and ocean itineraries on all seven continents and has remained family-owned for four generations.

During his 75 years in the travel industry, Arthur’s entrepreneurial spirit led to many new and inspiring ways for Tauck guests to experience the world.  In the 1960s, with the invention of the jet engine, he recognized the opportunity to introduce his guests to the national parks of the western United States and Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and the five islands of Hawaii.

Inspired by his own passions for hiking and bicycling, he pioneered Heli-Hiking in the Canadian Rockies in the 1970s and curated Tauck’s Yellow Roads of Europe in the 1990s offering authentic European experiences off the beaten path.    His love of the sea and the historic waterways of Europe is reflected today in the company’s intimate and culturally rich ocean and river cruise experiences.

Arthur believed deeply in the power of travel as a force for good in the world, whether by building understanding among people, preserving history and culture for future generations, or fulfilling individual dreams.

In 1994, Arthur founded the Tauck Family Foundation as a family endeavor to encourage multiple generations of his family to work together to give back and make a positive impact on the world. Today, the foundation supports communities to maintain healthy, regenerative ecosystems and land use practices through education and engagement.

Arthur and his wife Ronni loved spending winters at their home in Vero Beach, enjoying the beauty and culture of the Indian River community.  They were active members of the Vero Beach Yacht Club, regulars at the Sunday Farmer’s Market, and could often be seen walking the historic Jungle Trail with their dog, Jozie.  Arthur loved nothing more than watching the sailing and fishing boats pass by on the river as he chatted with the fishermen on the public piers.

Having lost his mother at age five and his father in his late twenties, Arthur valued family above all else.  He taught his young children to sail on Long Island Sound and to ski the challenging terrain of Mad River Glen in Vermont.  He took every opportunity to support the interests of his grandchildren, showing up unannounced at sporting events, attending school programs, or just being available for a good talk.  His greatest joy was sharing life with his wife, Ronni, and welcoming their large extended family to their homes in Westport and Florida.

In addition to his beloved wife, Ronni Tauck, Arthur is survived by his sister, Connie Wright; his former wife Lee Tauck and their five children, Chuck Tauck (Fran Littin), Robin Tauck, Peter Tauck, Kiki Mahar (Dan) and Liz Walters (Fred); four step-children,  Bernhard Duerrmeier (Amber Chang), Marina Rizzi (Damian), Christopher Duerrmeier (Laura Mui), and Philip Duerrmeier; as well as twenty-one grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Arthur’s family wishes to thank the staff at Indian River Homecare for their amazing support over the last year, especially Steeve Saint-Aude, Fredlin Sanon, Figo Guignard and Hilton Lincifort.  They are also immensely grateful to Dr. Vik Gongidi for his exceptional care.

The family will celebrate Arthur’s life in a private memorial service later this spring. Contributions in his memory may be made to Tourism Cares, a non-profit dedicated to advancing sustainability and meaningful travel within the tourism industry, or to Indian River Community Foundation.

Arrangements are by Thomas S. Lowther Funeral Home & Crematory, Vero Beach.