Bill Dyer
Napa Valley State Parks Fund
Bill Dyer, renowned winemaker, grower, naturalist, storyteller, and beloved friend, passed away at home on April 18, 2026. Bill served as Vice President of the Napa Valley State Parks Association from 2021 until his passing, generously sharing his time, leadership, and deep love of Napa Valley history.
His connection to the parks was deeply personal. When Bill and his wife Dawnine first arrived in Napa Valley, they spent their first month living at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park—a place that became part of their forever story.
Bill gave countless hours to NVSPA, volunteering at events, supporting interpretive programs, growing membership, and helping lead fundraising efforts for the parks he loved. His legacy will continue through the Bill Dyer Napa Valley State Parks Fund, created in his memory.
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Bale Grist Mill on October 3 at 4:00 PM. More details will be shared soon.
Bill’s spirit will always be felt in our parks, especially near the picnic table dedicated in his honor at Bothe Park, just steps from where he and Dawnine first made Napa Valley feel like home.
A Salute to Bill Dyer
Renowned winemaker and grower Bill Dyer passed away at home on the morning of April 18, 2026. A naturalist and adventurer, a lifelong student and storyteller, a community activist and pioneering winemaker, friend and beloved husband, he will be missed by all who knew him.
Bill was especially beloved by all of us at the Napa Valley State Parks Association where he served as Vice President from 2021 until his passing. His service on the board, through the years, covered every single committee, including growing its membership program, and volunteering at every official park event (his favorites were the Pancake Breakfast and the Bale Grist Mill Harvest Dinner). Using his deep knowledge of California and Napa County history, Bill contributed greatly to a years-long effort to update Bale Grist Mill and Bothe Park’s interpretive programs, which is an ongoing process which we will have to finish without Bill.
Bill’s largest contribution was to the Fundraising Committee, which he Co-Chaired with Chris Fowler for several years. In this capacity, not only did he solicit over 90 valuable items for our Online and Live Auctions each year, but he drove all over Napa County picking up a couple of hundred donations from the generous Napa Valley community, many of whom knew Bill and loved him as we did. He became great friends with our donor at 55 Degrees, who carefully store our donated wines throughout the year leading up to the Auctions. One of the benefits of being on our Board at NVSPA has been learning proper wine storage from Bill and 55 Degrees!
When people asked Bill why he so strongly supported the Napa State Parks, he loved to regale the story of when he and Dawnine first arrived in Napa County with a dream of getting jobs in the wine industry. They arrived in St. Helena and their car promptly broke down at the corner of Main and Pope, in front of the old Greyhound bus station. They only knew a single person in St. Helena who picked them up and took them to Napa-Bothe State Park where they set up their camp, pitched their tent and lived in the park for the next month. Their first “home” in Napa County! The car disappeared and bikes became their mode of transportation. They enjoyed their time in the park so much that when they bought their first home, they chose to live just up the road from the parks on their beloved Diamond Mountain.
Bill started his career as a cellar worker at Charles Krug, then moved to a position as Cellar Forman at Sterling Vineyards for the 1976 harvest. It was at Sterling that he had the opportunity to work with and be mentored by Ric Forman, and later Theo Rosenbrand who had trained with André Tchelistcheff at Beaulieu Vineyards. Bill returned to school while working at Sterling, earning a master's degree in 1986 in Enology and Viticulture from UC Davis, and was then promoted to Winemaker at Sterling. In 1993, Bill and Dawnine planted Dyer Vineyard and, upon leaving Sterling in 1996, started the Dyer Straits Wine Company.
Bill leaves behind his wife, his partner, and his best friend of 57 years, Dawnine Sample Dyer, to carry on his legacy. A Celebration of Life for Bill will be held by Dawnine at the Bale Grist Mill on October 3rd starting at 4:00 pm. More details will be provided at a later date. We have set up a “Bill Dyer Napa Valley State Parks Fund” in his memory, which we will feature at the Bale Grist Mill Harvest Dinner to be held on September 19th this year.
To learn more about Bill’s amazing life, please see:
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/napavalleyregister/name/william-dyer-obituary?id=61419593
We all miss Bill greatly. His loss is overwhelming, but his spirit and legacy will live on forever. A picnic table was dedicated in Bothe Park last year to Bill to celebrate him as our “Volunteer of the Year” for the countless hours he volunteered in the parks. The picnic table is located near the Vine Trail in the Day Use Area of Bothe Park, just a few yards away from where Bill and Dawnine first set up camp and realized that Napa Valley would become their forever home. Please come check it out – you might find Dawnine or one of us hanging out there when we need a quiet, peaceful dose of nature to honor Bill’s memory.
Authored by NVSPA Board Members Cathie Bennett Warner and Chris Fowler