KENT—Robert E. Dineen Jr. , 84, of Kent, formerly of New York City and Sherman, passed away Oct. 12, 2024, after a brief illness. He was the husband of his loving and devoted wife, Jeanne C. Olivier.
Bob was born in Syracuse, N.Y., Sept. 21, 1940, to the late Robert Emmet Dineen and Carolyn (Bareham) Dineen.
He spent his childhood in Syracuse and Milwaukee, Wis., and graduated from Hotchkiss School in Salisbury, Brown University, and Syracuse University School of Law.
After over 40 years of practice in domestic and international financial transactions, he retired as a partner from the New York law firm of Shearman & Sterling in 2009.
Over the years, he spent significant time in the firm’s offices in Algeria, Hong Kong, London, New York, Paris, Toronto, and Washington.
During the 1980s and 1990s, he led the sovereign debt restructurings of several Latin American countries and Vietnam. In addition to his many leadership roles at the firm, he served on boards of publicly traded companies and numerous charitable and educational institutions.
He was a generous donor, especially to causes supporting education, veterans, animal rescue, and children with cancer and special needs. Particularly dear to him was Dineen Hall at Syracuse Law School, named in honor of his parents, both of whom were among the school’s graduates.
His friends and colleagues remember him as fiercely loyal. Bob never shied from supporting them, without regard for himself. He will be forever remembered for his keen intellect, extraordinary judgment and integrity.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his adoring sister, the Hon. Carolyn (Dineen) King, judge and former chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and many admiring nieces and nephews and other family members. He was predeceased by his sister, Kathryn (Dineen) Wriston, and brother, Laurence Joseph Dineen, who died of leukemia at a young age.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at the Sacred Heart Church of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Kent.
Memorial donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
