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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
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Falls, William Kilgour
William Kilgour Falls, 96, a resident of The Villages At Marion, died Aug. 15, 2009, following an extended illness. Memorial services: 3 p.m. today at First Congregational Church. William will be cremated and his inurnment will be in St. Jean Sur Richelieu in Quebec, Canada, at a later date. Cedar Memorial Park funeral Home is in charge of arrangements,
He is survived by his wife, Betty of Cedar Rapids. Also surviving are sons, William Falls of Whistler, British Columbia, and Ian and wife Dawn Falls of Georgetown, Ontario. Also surviving are three stepchildren, Anne Bair Wilcox and husband Gary of Mission Viejo, Calif., Ted Bair of Mason City, and Molly Bair Williams and husband Mark of Cedar Rapids. His sister, Catherine Carson, and sister-in-law, Charlotte Falls, both of Canada, also survive. Bill and Betty have 11 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters, a brother, and his first wife.
William was born in Clyde Bank, Scotland, to Alexander and Johan Falls on Nov. 23, 1912. His family immigrated to Canada in 1920. Bill attended McGill University in Montreal and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1935. He married Mary Stuart Doreen Cook in 1943. They had two sons, William and Ian. Mary died of cancer in 1974. Bill served in the Royal Canadian Air Force until the end of the World War II hostilities in 1945. He spent all his working years in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, retiring in 1977. Bill married Elizabeth “Betty” Bair in 1981 and became a United States citizen in 1986. He enjoyed fishing, gardening and golf. He and Betty enjoyed several international trips in their married years and wintered in Florida for many years. They resided in Mason City until moving to Cedar Rapids in 2007. He was a member of First Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Mason City and attended First Congregational United Church of Christ in Cedar Rapids.
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