Obituary of William J. Dunning

WILLIAM J. DUNNING, age 87 of Holiday Drive, peacefully passed away on Monday, March 16, 2015 at 2:30 p.m. at his residence at Birchwoods of Canco. He was surrounded by nine of his very loving and caring nursing staff and assistants at Canco. Mr. Dunning gently succumbed to natural causes associated with his advanced age. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 31, 1927, the only son of Felicia Dolorme Davis and James Davis, later being adopted and raised in Freeport, Maine by Christopher Clyde Dunning and Sarah Anderson Dunning. After graduating from high school, he joined the US Navy in 1943. He was indoctrinated into Officer Candidate School at the US Naval Academy in Newport, Rhode Island and graduated in 1957 as an officer. He served overseas in Japan, Iceland, Korea, China and stateside in California, Georgia, Rhode Island, Portsmouth, NH and finally retired from the Brunswick Naval Air Station. He was awarded many decorations, medals and commendations during his extensive military career. One of his more prestigious and major commands was aboard the USS Willis A. Lee, a DL 4. On October 31, 1966 after 23 years of active duty, he retired at the rank of Lieutenant. After his retirement from the US Navy, being an accomplished artist, he enrolled at the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Arts. After that accomplishment, he became employed with the State of Maine and worked as a governmental auditor in Augusta and then transferred his financial management skills to the Governor Baxter School in Falmouth, Maine where he worked for many years before retiring a second time. He was predeceased by his loving wife of over 60 years, Ruth I. Jenkins Dunning. He is survived by five children, John L. Dunning and his wife Dolores of Scarborough, William J. “Skip” Dunning Jr. and his wife Diana of Concord, NH, Sandra L. Collins of Nashua, NH, Christy A. DeVeault and her husband Edward of Freeport and James M. Dunning of Lewiston; seven grandchildren, Dee L. Close, John R. Collins, Tracey L. Angelo, Carl McLaughlin, Jennifer Dunning, Kristin A. Amarant and Gregory DeVeault; six great-grandchildren, McKenzie Close, Elisabeth Collins, Michael Smith, Lilly Close, Carolyn Amarant and Alexandra Hadley Amarant of Newport, Rhode Island. A full Honors Military committal service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday May 5th at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Mt. Vernon Road, Augusta. Condolences to the family may be expressed via the funeral home website at www.ripostafh.com.