"Bill," as friends and family knew him, was the type of man you hope to be. The son of German immigrants, Bill was born on the living room floor of their home in east Portland. He grew up during the years of the Great Depression; for Bill Dehen, life was full of opportunity, not guarantees.
After Pearl Harbor, Bill joined the US Navy and served as a torpedo man 2nd class in the Pacific theater. The war informed Bill's perspective on life in a very profound way. After the Peace he started work at the family business, Dehen Knitting Company. In July of 1948 he married the love of his life, Lou Ann; they celebrating 65 years of marriage in the summer of 2013.