William Phillips Dannhauser

William (Bill) Phillips Dannhauser, beloved husband of the late Marilyn McAlpine Dannhauser, died Sept. 2, 2015, at the Joe Raso Hospice Residence in New City, N.Y. He was 88 years old.

Bill leaves his loving children, Lori Hulle and her husband, Doug; Bill Dannhauser Jr. and his wife, Carol; and Jamie Dannhauser; his sister, Georgette Diemer; his loving grandchildren whom he cherished, Billy Dannhauser III and Christopher Dannhauser; and many loving nieces and nephews. Bill was predeceased by three sisters, Marjorie Temme, Lillian Willis Surdez and Agnes Mulligan.

Bill was born in Englewood, N.J., in 1927, son of the late George and Loretta Kehoe Dannhauser. He grew up in Leonia, where he played in the Drum & Bugle Corps, and upon his graduation from Leonia High School in 1945 he served as a rifleman and clerk in the U.S. Army in Fort Sam Houston, in Texas, where he played the bass in the Army's dance band. Following his Army service, Bill attended Rutgers University and the University of Colorado, from which he graduated in 1950 with a bachelor's degree in history and a sweetheart from Utah.

Bill and Marilyn moved back east and Bill found work in the mail room at NBC. He moved up the ranks, serving as unit manager, director of business affairs, director of variety programs, director of special programs and executive producer of live programming, where he earned numerous Emmy Awards. Over the years he worked on television classics including Your Show of Shows with Sid Caesar, Peter Pan with Mary Martin, and Live at the Apollo, and he spent decades producing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Orange Bowl Parade, the Rose Bowl Parade and dozens of Miss America pageants. Twice he was awarded the highest honor in television, the Peabody, for his work on the documentaries "Search for the Nile" and "Treasures of the British Crown."

At home, in New City, N.Y., where he lived for 44 years, Bill attended and volunteered with the United Methodist Church and the Volunteer Counseling Service, where he served on the board of directors from 1993-2006 and was recognized for his service. Following his retirement in 1986, Bill worked as an adjunct professor at Long Island University and volunteered his entertainment services at Rockland Opera Society.

He and Marilyn spent their winters in Green Valley, Arizona, beginning in 1996, and there he continued to volunteer in his community. He served as a Stephens Minister through Green Valley Community Church, bringing spiritual support and communion to housebound members of the congregation. He also served on the board of managers of Green Valley Resort Homes, where he lived.

Bill was an avid fan of the Yankees and the Giants. He loved big band music and the music of John Phillip Souza and could play most any musical instrument, including the drums, saxophone, clarinet, bass guitar, banjo and harmonica. He enjoyed painting, sketching and photography and developed his own black and white prints at home. Bill could fix just about anything cars, refrigerators, clocks and worked magic with duct tape, which he called gaffer's tape, because of his profession. He loved electronic gadgets and embraced technology. Most of all, he loved and embraced his family.

At a ceremony this fall, Bill will be interred in Green Valley, beside his wife, under a rose bush at Green Valley Community Church. Contributions may be made to Volunteer Counseling Service, 77 South Main St., New City, N.Y., 10956, or to the Joe Raso Hospice Residence, 415 Buena Vista Road, New City, N.Y., 10956