William Dunlap Jr

William (Bill) Dunlap Jr. passed away due to complications of kidney disease on Saturday, January 8, 2022 at age 83. 

Preceded in death by his parents William and Evelyn Dunlap, his nephew David Wennes, and his first wife Lois-Mary Apple Dunlap.

Bill passed away as he lived; surrounded by family. Beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, Bill is survived by wife JoAnne Pastel; sisters Judy Wellhausen (Tom) and Mary Wennes (Howard); children Kristin, Leslie (Seth Cotlar), Brenda (Jim Reidy), Billy and Jacqueline; and grandchildren Kaitlin, Anna, and Ellie Schaible, Isaac Cotlar, and Kai and Tae Reidy; and beloved nieces and nephews.  

Bill had a storied history in the advertising industry. His personal brand’s key messages would be:  Thoughtful.  Charismatic. Sly humor.  Bold thinker.  Passionate about work and family.  Generous and kind.  Memorable and wise.  

Bill grew up in Austin, MN. He graduated at the top of his high school class and was a key player on the basketball team. He attended Carleton College in Northfield, MN, where he majored in Political Science, worked at the college post office and met Lois-Mary.  

After graduating from Carleton (class of 1960) he worked at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, OH, as a Marketing and Sales Executive. In 1968 he was recruited by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to serve as an Assistant Postmaster General in the White House Cabinet during the Nixon Administration.  He loved the Washington, D.C. political scene and the creative aspects of introducing several iconic postage stamps of the times, including Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon and the LOVE stamp.  Bill had the opportunity to meet eleven presidents during his lifetime.

In 1978, Bill was recruited to a leadership position for the Marketing Corporation of America (MCA), based in Westport, CT and Manhattan, NY. In 1980, Bill became President and then CEO of Campbell-Mithun Esty (CME), the largest advertising agency west of the Mississippi at the time. Bill helped champion such brands as 3M, Andersen Windows, General Mills, International Dairy Queen, Jeep, Kmart, Sun Country and United Airlines. Bill also served on the board of directors at many organizations, including the Minnesota Business Partnership.  Throughout his career, he lauded all the talented and creative people with whom he worked.  He took great care truly engaging with all he encountered.  

Bill was a lifelong supporter of Minnesota sports as a season ticket holder to the Timberwolves, Vikings, Twins and Wild.  He served as Marketing Director for the 1992 MN Super Bowl Committee and was a proud supporter of the Trent Tucker Celebrity Golf Tournament. Bill was also a benefactor of Alcoholics Anonymous, University of Minnesota Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Operation Smile.

Bill and JoAnne and their two children, Billy (19) and Jacqueline (13), have enjoyed much love and laughter and many travels together. 

Services will be privately held at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis. 

Bill liked to say, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.” He will be dearly missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations in memory of Bill Dunlap to the Jacqueline Dunlap Neurofibromatosis Research Fund at:
https://makingagift.umn.edu/give/fund.html?id=11731
or to the Northside Achievement Zone.
 

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