Obituary of William James Dankel

Dankel, William James January 1, 1939 March 30, 2020 William James Dankel was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 1, 1939, the son of Gerold Dankel and Kathleen Price Dankel. He graduated from Des Moines Technical High School in 1958. Bill worked at Look magazine until drafted into the U.S. Army in 1961, serving in France for two years. Upon discharge, he returned to Des Moines and Look until moving to Minneapolis, MN in 1968 for a career in the electronics industry. He was married to Dianna Fraser on November 9, 1974. They lived in Columbia Heights until 2005 when they moved to St. Bonafacius, MN. Bill retired in 2006. Bill enjoyed fishing and traveling and for many years had a cottage on Island Lake in Crosslake, MN, and later building a home on Leavitt Lake near Outing, MN. He enjoyed nothing more than introducing young people to fishing. In retirement, Bill and Dianna spent a number of winters in Florida. Bill Dankel died on Monday, March 30, 2020 at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia after a brief illness unrelated to the COVID-19. He was preceded in death by his parents, by a sister, Kathy, and nephew (Jerry). He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Dianna Dankel of St. Bonifacius; by a sister, Susan Grotewold of Liberty MO; by nieces, nephews, and other extended family and friends. A celebration of Bill's life will be held at a later date.