"Death of Park Service's Bill Line Stuns Those Who Knew Him"

"With his Dudley Do-Right chin and broadcaster hair, Bill Line was the voice of Washington's cherry blossoms, parades, protests and national monuments."

"As the longtime spokesman for the National Park Service in the District, he was our National Ranger, stiff and proper, adjusting his ranger hat just so before reminding us to use Metro rather than drive to the Mall.

But one Sunday every month, he would leave his pew and go before the altar at his church for the communal celebration of the Anointing of the Sick, to be prayed over and blessed, begging for salvation from the illness that was inside him. ...

But this past Sunday, he was missing. His friends and fellow worshipers said they learned why on Monday: Bill was the 56-year-old man who police say had killed himself with a knife in his Northwest Washington home Sunday. That knocked the wind out of just about everyone who knew him."

Petula Dvorak reports for the Washington Post October 8, 2012.