Bill Dietel obit portrait
Bill Dietel at Over Jordan Farm in 2016.
Longtime Rappahannock County resident and philanthropist Bill Dietel, 96, died peacefully at his Flint Hill home, Over Jordan Farm, surrounded by his family Tuesday night.
Dietel, who lived in the county for 43 years, is survived by his five children: Betsy Dietel, Cyndy Krieger, Ren Dietel, Fritz Dietel and Tory Dietel Hopps; 11 grandchildren and six great grandchildren. He was married to Linda Remington Dietel for 68 years before she passed away at the family farm in September 2019.
A former teacher, principal and dean, William Moore Dietel entered philanthropy in 1970 and served as executive vice president and president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund until 1987. It was then he established a consulting practice that became Dietel & Partners, and in 2007 his daughters joined the firm. He retired from full partnership in 2016 but continued to advise the organization.
Prior to serving the Rockefeller family, he was principal of the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York for nine years. Bill earned a Ph.D. from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University. He is a graduate of the Phillips Exeter Academy.
After a short time in Manhattan, Linda found a farm in Rappahannock County in 1980 and the two moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains. At their Over Jordan Farm, she raised a flock of more than 300 sheep.
Together, they supported numerous groups in the county, including the Child Care and Learning Center, the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation, the PATH Foundation, Headwaters Foundation and Rapp at Home.
Bill Dietel was also the co-founder of Foothills Forum, a nonprofit organization that supports local news in Rappahannock County. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Washington.
The family is planning a celebration of life, which will take place in the spring.
The Rappahannock News will publish an appreciation story about Bill Dietel in the Oct. 19 print edition.
