Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from a profile about Serro Travel Trailer co-founder Joseph Prischl. To read the full story, click here.
Joseph Pirschl, co-founder of the Serro Travel Trailer Co., loved working with anyone who appreciated a good joke and a firm handshake.
In fact, he loved that part of his job so much that he would deliver his company’s iconic teardrop-shaped campers to dealers across the country himself, even as he transitioned into retirement.
“He was a people person,” said his son, Gary Pirschl. “He loved the relationships with people.”
Pirschl, 89, of Hempfield died Monday at home of complications of old age, his family said.
The company started making the compact camping trailers with a tiny kitchen and sleeping space for two adults and later expanded to produce a variety of larger models.
Pirschl was instrumental in founding Scottyland Camping Resort in Rockwood, Somerset County, where campers have gathered since 1963.
Pirschl’s passion for working with people and building communities started long before he got into the trailer business. He grew up in McKees Rocks, where his family ran a grocery store and helped support families in need during the Great Depression, said his daughter, Anne Degre.
Pirschl graduated from high school early, at 17, to join the Navy. He served for two and a half years during World War II.
He later met his wife of 63 years, Florence Serro Pirschl, and helped to launch the Serro Scotty brand with his father-in-law, John Serro.
“His hobby truly was work and his family,” Degre said. She recalls crisscrossing the country with her parents and siblings on trips that often included stops at Serro dealerships.
