William L. Diener Jr.

William Lewis Diener, Jr. passed away July 17, 2020.  He was a long-time resident of Boca Raton, Florida, and recently became a seasonal resident in Harbor Springs, Michigan, where he passed away.

Bill was an optimist and a gentleman to the core. He always took the high road and always saw the good in others and in life.  Bill was in the securities business for over 60 years. He began his career in the 1950s at Merrill Lynch in Chicago, and then became a general partner and eventually regional manager at Lamson Brothers & Co. Since 1975 he held various positions at Morgan Stanley and its predecessor firms ranging from Portfolio Manager to Branch Manager. When he retired from Morgan Stanley, he was Sr. Vice President Financial Advisor. He also created and ran one of the first publicly traded commodity funds. Although he left Morgan Stanley in his 80s, his desire to continue analyzing markets and helping clients led him to return as a broker with Summit Brokerage. He fully retired in 2019.  Throughout his career Bill sought to improve the lives of others. He mentored new brokers, provided a nurturing environment for staff, and sought the best outcome for clients, always. The success of others was paramount to him. Bill graduated high school from Chicago Latin School.  He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his M.B.A. from Harvard. He was an avid skier, tennis player and gym rat.

He is survived by his wife, Dion Flannery, and four children Edward Diener (Susan), Lisa Michelle Sanden (Nee Diener) (Randy Seffren), Michael Diener and Kyle Diener, and six grandchildren.

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