Duane Dinius

Duane Dinius

Duane Clark Dinius was born June 12, 1937, in Bismarck. He was the seventh of nine children and the youngest son of Alexander and Regina (Schmidt) Dinius. Duane died July 23, 2009, at Triumph Hospital, Mandan, surrounded by his beloved wife, Carolyn, and family. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, July 27, at St. Mary's Catholic Church with burial immediately following at St. Mary's Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Bismarck Funeral Home with a prayer service at 7 p.m.

Duane attended and graduated from Bismarck High School in 1956. He then joined the National Guard during his senior year in October 1955. After four rapid promotions, he made the rank of Sergeant First Class in June 1958. In 1959, he was accepted as a Cadet in Officer's Candidate School and was appointed to Second Lieutenant in August 1960. After a year of teaching Officer Candidate School, he was called to active duty with the 896th Engineer Float Bridge Company from Bismarck and Linton in September 1961. During their year at Fort Riley, Kan., the unit achieved the highest training scores ever received by an engineering unit. After a total of 24 years of responsible and dedicated service he was honorably discharged from the Army Reserve in December 1980 at the rank of Captain.

Duane began working for Carlson Engineering and was working on a highway project in Napoleon, where he met his future bride and love of his life, Carolyn Piatz. After five days Duane proposed and Carolyn accepted. They were married two and one half months later on Nov. 28, 1957 and enjoyed 51 and one half years of wedded bliss.

Duane was a World War II buff, belonged to the Eagles Club and the AMVETS and he also enjoyed restoring antique radios. He was adored by his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and will be greatly missed.

Duane's career included positions with Bison Engineering, North Dakota Highway Department as a landscape designer and Northern Improvement as an estimator/engineer, where he retired on July 1, 2000.

Duane is survived by his wife, Carolyn; his daughter, Julie (Gregor) Boreen, New Salem, and their children, Anne (boyfriend Ken) Boreen, Nick (Laura) Boreen, Taylor (fiancee Katie) Price, his daughter, Gayle (boyfriend Denny) Robertson, Bismarck, and her children, Ryan (girlfriend Danielle) Robertson, Jay Robertson, and Brittany (boyfriend Brett) Robertson, his son, Jeff (Tammy) Dinius, Strausburg, Colo., and their daughter, Jacee Rae, and his son, Keith (Amanda) Dinius, Bismarck, and their children, Ross (Jahna) Gardiner, Luke Gardiner and Jon Gardiner; three great-grandchildren, Ethan Gardiner, Morgan Boreen and Skyla Hoiby; two sisters, Joann Lunn, Bismarck, and Diane Sherman, Shepherd, Mont.; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

Duane is preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, John, Ed, George and Ralph; and two sisters, Gloria and June.

Have fun dancing in heaven, Disco Duane!

Those wishing to sign the online register book or leave a message of condolence please go to www.bismarckfuneralhome.com.