William "Bill" Stinson

Bill is the beloved husband of Jane Magnus-Stinson and the adoring and adored father of Jill and Grace Stinson. He was predeceased by his parents Wilburn and Edna Stinson, his parents-in-law Bob and Holly Magnus, and his best friend Sean O'Hara. He is survived by his brother Pete and sister-in-law Peggy Stinson, their children Kurt and Todd Stinson, and his siblings-in-law, Kari Magnus (Tibor Gomory), Bob Magnus (Kathy), John Magnus (Jamie Hartnett), and Mike Magnus (Mike Prisinzano).

Born on September 13, 1955, in Indianapolis, Bill grew up on the near east side in Brookside and attended St. Francis de Sales Catholic School. He graduated from Cathedral High School in 1973 where he made lifelong friends and played the trombone in the marching band. "Windy" was his favorite song to perform. In 1978, he graduated from Xavier University with a degree in Urban Studies.

Following his graduation, Bill began a lifelong career of public service as a congressional staffer in Cincinnati, before returning to Indianapolis where he first served at the Marion County Voter Registration Office. In 1985, Bill joined a throng of young Democrats, who became lifelong friends, to volunteer for Evan Bayh's campaigns for Secretary of State and Governor. He then began state service in the Secretary of State's Office, and later served as Deputy Commissioner of both the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Administration. While at the BMV, Bill met Jane Magnus, who was Counsel to the Governor at the time. Though they started as "new best friends," they realized there was more to it than that, and they married in the State House in December 1993.

Also in 1993, Governor Bayh appointed Bill to serve in a position he relished, the Executive Director of the Indiana State Fair Commission. With a capable veteran team and plentiful federal funding, Bill led the physical transformation of the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Relying on his marketing savvy and creativity, Bill also brought record crowds to the State Fair, including 900,000 in attendance in 2004.

Following his many years at the State Fair, Bill joined the private sector, spending almost a decade with Cripe Architects + Engineers. While he treasured his Cripe colleagues and their friendship, the call to public service led to his capstone position as the Senior Director of Public Affairs at the Indianapolis Airport Authority. There, Bill's greatest pride—in his words—was "developing a team that strived to provide outstanding customer service to the more than ten million people who travel throughout the airport each year." Bill loved and respected the Airport Public Affairs team and thoroughly enjoyed his role as mentor. He also shared in the Airport's thirteen years of success as the "Best Airport in North America." Around the Stinson household, all credit was given to Bill.

Bill's role at the Airport also provided him many opportunities to forge professional partnerships as well as personal friendships with representatives of Indianapolis civic organizations such as Visit Indy, the Sports Corporation, and the Indianapolis Arts Council. Together, they collaborated to support major events such as the NBA All-Star Game, the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, and the World Food Championships. Bill also served his community as a member of the Boards of Directors of the Westside Chamber of Commerce, the Heartland Film Festival, New Hope of Indiana, Indy Parks and Recreation, and IndyGo. While a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, he served as Parish Council President.

If there is one word to describe Bill, it is "friend." He put loving effort into his many friendships and modeled that quality to Jane and their girls. Whether you were a friend from high school, college, STA, his work life, or his community service, Bill checked in and made time. He also enjoyed connecting people, and the friendships multiplied. But nothing mattered more to Bill than his family. Bill's love for and pride in his daughters was readily obvious, and along with Jane, they were the joys of his life. Bill was very much a friend to the girls, and also to their friends, whom he enjoyed greatly. Bill will always remain "best friend" to Jane and the girls.

If there are two more words to describe Bill, they are "wickedly funny." His wry wit was a signature quality, known by all, appreciated by the many who loved him, and misunderstood by those who didn't get it.

Bill beat prostate cancer last year and earned his recent retirement. In his newfound free time, Bill took great pleasure in reading, working hard in the yard, cultivating hostas, captaining the Stinson pontoon boat, and watching endless television (some mindless). He loved the Cincinnati Reds, the Pacers, Kenny Chesney, Broadway Musicals, and doing laundry—having mastered the art of sorting in 2020. Having worked so hard, Bill was looking forward to many more years of leisure. He is gone much too soon.

Services will be on May 3, 2025, at the 4-H Exhibit Hall (located on the northeast corner of the Indiana State Fairgrounds). Attendees should enter the grounds using Gate 16 on 42nd St. near the Monon Trail. Visitation is from 2:00 pm-5:00 pm with a Catholic memorial service to follow at 5:00 pm. All are then welcome to join the family in a meal to conclude the celebration of Bill's life.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to New Hope of Indiana https://www.newhopeofindiana.org/ways-to-give/ or Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc. https://www.exodusrefugee.org/donate/, two charities close to Bill's heart.

Online condolences for Bill are available at www.feeneyhornakkeystone.com