William W. Dunnell III, of Meredith, NH, formerly of Holderness, NH and North Andover, MA, died quietly in his sleep on July 17, 2022. He was 89 and had recently been in declining health. A memorial Service will be held in the Frank D. Ashburn Chapel on the grounds of Brooks School in North Andover at a future date to be announced.

Born in Boston, MA, Mr. Dunnell grew up in Wayland, MA with his parents, the late William W. Dunnell Jr. and Ellen Frothingham Dunnell. He graduated from the Noble & Greenough School in 1951 and from Harvard College in 1955.

After graduating from Harvard, he enlisted in the United States Navy, serving aboard the USS Truckee. Following his Navy service, he joined the faculty at Fenn School in Concord, MA in 1957, where he met Patricia Ceresole of Concord. They were married in December 1959. In 1963, he accepted a position in the English Department at Brooks School, where he taught until his retirement in 1994.

During his time at Brooks, he earned a Master of Arts Degree in English from The Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College, and, at various times during his tenure, served as Head of the English Department, Head of the Middle School, Head of the Dramatics Department, Chair of the African Exchange Program, Director of the Hungarian Exchange Program, Director of the Summer School, Dormitory Master, and coach of Men’s and Women’s hockey and Men’s crew.

He was a demanding and exacting teacher and coach, inspiring and expecting excellence from his students and athletes. He took great pride in his students, pushing them not only to do their best, but more importantly to think for themselves, however irreverently and radically, and to support their convictions, while deflecting all praise for his role in their achievements.

For 31 years he was a respected member of the faculty and community at Brooks, along with his wife Patty and his brother Jake who joined him in the English Department in 1968. He received many honors for his service to the school over the years, including becoming an Honorary member of the Class of 1968, and having the Crew Indoor Training facility and a racing shell named for him. At his 1994 retirement with his brother Jake, the faculty created the “Dunnell Prize” in honor of their combined 57 years of service to the school; the prize is awarded annually to the Sixth Former who best exemplifies the spirit of selfless service to the school community. He was a fixture on campus often seen riding his bicycle or watching sports games while sitting on his shooting stick. Following his retirement, he remained in touch with and was visited often by his former colleagues and students from his many years at Brooks.

He was predeceased by his wife Patty in 2013 and his sister Ellen Bennett in 2010. He is survived by his brother Jake, of Meredith, NH, and by his three children: William W. Dunnell IV and his wife Rachel Shatz of Montclair, NJ and their two children, Amelia of New Haven, CT and Chloe of Montclair, NJ; Caroline (Circe) Ceresole Dunnell of West Orange, NJ; and Jacob Dunnell II and his wife Kelly Fagan of Upton, MA.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Brooks School, 1160 Great Pond Road, North Andover, MA, 01845.