Longtime Member Bill Line Mourned by the Dignity/Washington Community

October 31, 2012

by

DignityUSA

<p><img alt= src=/sites/default/files/logos/WashingtonDC_0.jpg style=width: 120px; height: 81px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; float: right; />by Rick Lynch Dignity/Washington Member</p> <p>The Dignity/Washington community and its friends were saddened to learn of the untimely death on October 7 of Bill Line at his home in Washington DC; he was 56 years old. Bill first joined Dignity/Washington in 1984 and had been a much-treasured member of the community throughout these many years. During his early years with our chapter Bill served on the Board of Directors and for much of the rest of his time he was a member of the Sunday Mass choir.</p> <!--break--> <p>Bill was a very proud native of Wisconsin. He was preceded in death by his mother and father and he is survived by two sisters and two brothers. Since coming to Washington Bill worked in the media as reporter and producer with a number of different organizations including NBC and Fox News. Since 2001 Bill served as the chief spokesperson for the National Park Service&rsquo;s National Capital Region and was seen on television and heard on the radio giving public statements and briefings on many of the area&rsquo;s important public events like the annual blooming of the cherry blossoms and the Fourth of July fireworks.</p> <p>DC police classified his death as a suicide the second one of a Dignity/Washington member in a year and a half. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been talking so much in the LGBT community about young gay suicides&rdquo; said Dan Barutta Dignity/Washington president &ldquo;we sometimes forget that there are other stages of life that are difficult for this community too.&rdquo;</p> <p>Bill&rsquo;s Funeral Mass took place October 17 in his home state of Wisconsin. Dignity/Washington held a Memorial Service on November 2 at St. Margaret Episcopal Church for the legions of Bill&rsquo;s friends in his Dignity family as well as in the wider Washington DC community.</p>