William “Bill” Beal Dunbar, Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.) of Fernandina Beach, FL passed away September 15, 2024, age 97, at the Warner Center for Caring.

Bill was predeceased by his wife of 55 years, Mary Ann Burns Dunbar, as well as ten brothers and sisters, including his twin, Mary Arbuckle of Lindsay, TX. He is survived by his five children, Susan Dunbar of Washington, DC; Brian Dunbar (Pam) of Fernandina Beach; John Dunbar (Tamar) of Israel; Tom Dunbar (Lianne) of Annapolis, MD; Mary Turley (Bob) of Fairfax, VA; as well as thirteen grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

Bill was born July 9, 1927, in Jacksonville Beach to William Emmett Dunbar and Harriet Beal Dunbar. He graduated high school from St. Joseph’s Academy in Jacksonville in 1945 and immediately enlisted in the military serving a short time in the U.S. Coast Guard. After WWII, he attended Georgetown University in Washington, DC where he earned a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service in 1952. It was in Washington where he met and married his beloved Mary Ann.

In 1953, Bill graduated from the Aviation Cadet Program at Ellington AFB, TX and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant at Mather AFB, CA. He served as a B-26 Navigator-Bombardier in Korea thus beginning his nearly 30 year military career in earnest.

Bill’s many postings included Wright-Patterson AFB, where he earned an MBA from the University of Dayton. He studied nights and weekends with Mary Ann editing and typing his papers. He often said he would never have graduated without her. He was assigned to a year-long tour in Utapao, Thailand during the Vietnam War, returning home in 1968. For the next four years, Bill was stationed at SAC’s Airborne Command Post in Omaha, NE. The highlight of his career for his family was a three year assignment to RAF Mildenhall, England in 1972. His final posting was Plattsburgh, AFB, NY.

Bill retired from the military in 1980 but not before attending the Olympic Games in Plattsburgh where he saw the USA hockey team beat West Germany in its quest for gold.


For the next 30 years, Bill worked as a financial advisor in Northern Virginia for several different brokerage houses, including Legg Mason Wood Walker and Prudential Securities. He was an active member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Annandale, VA, serving as a Eucharistic Minister, CCD instructor and fundraiser for the Knights of Columbus’ annual “tootsie roll” campaign on behalf of local charities. Living in England, Bill and Mary Ann developed an appreciation for antiques and for travel and they annually enjoyed trips to Britain and other European countries. Sadly, Mary Ann passed away in 2008.

Having never lost his love of the beach, Bill retired a second time and moved to Fernandina in 2015. Recognizable by his fedora and teal blue Cadillac; he attended daily Mass at St. Michael’s and enjoyed the company of his friends at a regular “coffee klatsch”. Bill was an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal and maintained a keen interest in politics and finance. In his younger years, he spent many an afternoon floating on a rubber raft in his neighbor’s pool, beer in hand. He often golfed with his sons and son-in-law and scored exactly one ace to his name! Summer evenings were spent on the back porch with paper, beer and the ever present cigar.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Annandale, VA, on Thursday, October 10. Interment at Arlington National Cemetery will follow at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sacred Heart Southern Missions at secure.shsm.org or SHSM, 6050 Highway 161, Wallis, MS 38680.