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Note: William J. Dinneen Jr. 1925-2008 William J. Dinneen, Jr., 82, of Cheyenne died Feb. 15 at Cheyenne Health Care Center after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease. Bill was born in Cheyenne's Memorial Hospital on May 1, 1925, to William J. and Anna (McGarry) Dinneen. He attended St. Mary's School. He graduated from the New Mexico Military Institute in 1943. He joined the army and became a part of General Patches 103rd Infantry Division, which fought in the European theater and later was assigned to free and protect those in the Nazi concentration camps. Following his discharge in 1946, Dinneen entered the University of Wyoming. After his graduation in 1949, he continued his interest and participation in university affairs, for which he was recognized in 2003 with the presentation of the University of Wyoming's Medallion Service Award. Mr. Dinneen grew up working in the family businesses and after college graduation it became his career. He was loyal to Cheyenne and proud of his family roots. Bill's great-grandfather, Maurice P. Dinneen, emigrated from Ireland in 1848. He homesteaded west of town in 1879. In 1890, Bill's grandfather, William E., and his uncle, Maurice Jr. founded the Dinneen Bros. Grocery at the corner of Pioneer and 17th Street. William E. also started the Bonton Stables, which rented horse-drawn carriages and later automobiles. He became a franchise automobile dealer in 1906. William E. was a charter member of the Cheyenne Industrial Club, which later became the Chamber of Commerce. After World War I, Bill's father, William J. Dinneen Sr., managed the dealership and the Cheyenne Motor Bus Company, a business that grew from the purchase of the struggling Cheyenne Street Trolley in 1924. The Bus Company served Cheyenne and Fort Francis E. Warren until after World War II. William J. Dinneen Jr. joined the family business in 1949. He was active in both the Cheyenne and Wyoming Automobile Dealers Associations. In 1995, he was chosen as Wyoming's Time Quality Dealer of the Year. Bill's son, John, partnered with his father in 1979. Bill was active in many civic organizations. In the late 1960s, he was appointed to the original Urban Renewal Board. He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Development Association, LEADS, and the Junior Chamber of Commerce. Bill was a past president of the Cheyenne Rotary Club and the Young Men's Literary Club. He served as parade chairman on the Cheyenne Frontier Days Committee and later was on the Board of Directors. He was the honorary chair of Cheyenne Regional Medical Center's Denim 'n Diamonds in 2003. He received Laramie County Community College's Lifetime Heritage Award in 2005. Bill enjoyed automobiles, his garden and trees, golfing, traveling and the University of Wyoming football and basketball games. Most of all he liked people. "Uncle Willie" loved to sing and laugh. He brought great joy to many family gatherings. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Marietta Trowbridge Dinneen; two sons, John Dinneen and daughter-in-law, Eileen, and Jim and his wife, Ray; and five grandchildren, Ryan of Portland, Ore., Tom of Seattle, and Elizabeth, Will and Claire of Cheyenne. Two sisters, Ann Dinneen Smith her husband, Clark, and their children, Tim, Chris, Paul, Bill, Annie and Amy; and Priscilla Lynch Roedel and her sons, Andrew and John Jr. He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant son and an infant daughter; a sister, Kate Dinneen Rhoades; his stepmother, Margaret Lynch Dinneen; brother and sister, John Lynch and Margaret Lynch Cunningham; a nephew, Clark Smith Jr.; and his cousins and lifelong friends, Bill, Ned, and Don Murray. Friends who prefer may contribute to Parkinson's Research, Parkinson's Association of the Rockies, Denver; Laramie County Community College (Writer's Series); Botanic Gardens Children's Garden; Laramie County Library; Cheyenne Regional Medical Center; Salvation Army; Cheyenne Rotary Foundation; Cheyenne Symphony Old West Museum; St. Mary's Cathedral or University of Wyoming. Vigil for the Deceased will be 7 p.m. Monday at Schrader Chapel. Funeral Liturgy will be held 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mary's Cathedral with the Bishop Joseph Hart celebrating. Interment will follow in Olivet Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Schrader Funeral Home.
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