Wilbur Ward Dinegar

Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps

Wilbur Ward Dinegar was born in Manhattan, NY, on 9 April 1926. His father was the doctor for the New York Daily News and his mother was a nurse and piano teacher.

Ward attended elementary and high school at the Trinity School in Manhattan. He maintained ties with the school throughout his life, lunching with alumni in Connecticut as recently as 2008. He graduated from Princeton University (Class of 1949) and the U.S. Naval Academy (Class of 1951), and earned an M.A. in Political Science from Trinity College in Hartford, CT.

After graduation from the Academy, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Korea and Vietnam. He was the recipient of the Legion of Merit, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and Purple Heart. He retired from the Marine Corps as a Lieutenant Colonel.

After retiring from the Marine Corps, Will graduated from George Washington University Law School. He joined the Attorney General's office in Hartford in 1977. He was known for his gracious and gentlemanly manner, and for treating clients and attorneys with great civility. In 1987 he opened a sub-office in Bridgeport, where he supervised a staff of attorneys, paralegals and secretaries. To every case he brought curiosity of mind, a desire to do the right thing, and above all, his appreciation for a good story. Will was a convincing advocate not only for the State, but for the many mothers and children who depended on his skills to obtain proper support. He established many lifelong friendships with members of the bar and the judiciary.

From 1977-2000, Will spent his hours away from the office restoring his home, a 1757 farmhouse formerly owned by Captain Ebenezer Witter, Jr., of General George Washington's Army.

He spent the last six years of his life In Juneau, AK, near his daughter, Harriet; son-in-law, Bill; and grandchildren, Sarah and Reece. He fished for salmon and halibut, watched the northern lights in winter and enjoyed barbecues under the midnight sun in the summer.

Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur Ward Dinegar left the world quite unexpectedly on 25 January 2010.

He was preceded in death by his wives Jean Van Reccia Wireman Dinegar and Lynn Anne Dunkin Dinegar. He leaves behind many friends and colleagues, family and beloved extended family including Daniel and Deana Dunkin of Fairfield, CT; and their children, Mark, Kevin, and Ryan, Kitt and Joe Lattarulo of Greenwich, CT; and Joseph Dinegar of Portland, CT.

And, as any of them will tell you, he leaves behind a wealth of wonderful stories.

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