At the time of William's passing in 1927, which was followed by the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, the carousel world went into a long hiatus from its spectacular heights reached in the United States from the turn-of-the-century to the mid-twenties. William's brother, Edward P. Dentzel, soon afterwards ceased carving and operating carousels and became a developer and builder of homes in Beverly Hills, California, he even went on to become the mayor of that star-studded town. Edward's son, William H. Dentzel II (who was named after his Uncle Bill), became a lawyer and practiced law for some 40 years. However, he had inherited the family talent and throughout many of those years found enjoyment in carving and did so as an avocation. It was not until the early '70's that he developed and produced a line of children's carousels finished in traditional Dentzel style with mirrors, artwork, lights and band organ music. William II passed away in 1991 leaving behind a legacy of more than a dozen small carousels and large carved wooden carousel figures of horses and menagerie animals. He also carved many miniatures including: fanciful dolphins, wooden soldiers and gnomes. His first children's carousel was displayed at the Smithsonian Institute during the Bi-centennial celebration where it remains along with their full-sized, turn-of-the-century antique Dentzel menagerie carousel.