John Cabread Hall

John Cabread Hall

Cedar Rapids

John Cabread Hall of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away peacefully at his home on February 7, 2025. He was 96 years old.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, February 14, 11:00 a.m. at First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids. The burial will be at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery. A livestream of the memorial service may be accessed at firstlutherancr.org.

John was born on June 14, 1928, in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England. He lived a very full life with many amazing accomplishments.

As a child he was very mechanically inclined. He loved tinkering with cars and motorcycles. He even built his own first car. During his college, he joined the Royal Air Force reserves where he learned to fly. He completed his Associate degree in Physics, and Bachelor of Science and Master’s degrees in Aeronautical Engineering.

He was a pioneer in the aviation industry, bringing significant advancements to several aircraft. One of his earliest achievements was the Comet 4, which was delivered to BOAC (the British Airline) and was the first commercial airliner to cross the Atlantic. He was the “Father of Autoland” and guided the evolution of automatic flight control from mag amps to microprocessors. He was instrumental in developing the first commercial automatic landing service (the de Havilland 121 Trident) and then was recruited to join Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids to do the same for the Lockheed L-1011.

He was extremely dedicated to his work and spent long hours in the office and traveling back and forth to Los Angeles and Seattle. When not at work he loved tinkering in the basement (workshop) at his home and was always repairing things around the house and thinking of creative ways to improve things which resulted in several patent applications. John also found the time to hold numerous volunteer positions with First Lutheran Church and Habitat for Humanity.

He met the love of his life, Maggie Fouracres, in 1952 and they were married the following year. He was a devoted husband and father to his four children. He continued his love of flying, purchasing a Cessna 150 which he flew on many adventures with Maggie and friends.

John had many interests in life and lived it to the fullest. He loved his work, his planes, classical music, his volunteer time at Habitat for Humanity and the Church. Most of all, he loved his bride and family and was a great provider for them all.

John is survived by his daughters, Geraldine “Gel” (Ken Fotey) Hall, Rosalyn “Roz” Cooper and Lucy Victoria Hall; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by the love of his life, his wife Margaret “Maggie”; by his eldest daughter, Elizabeth “Liz” Preedy; and his parents, Gladys and Gordon Hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s memory to Habitat for Humanity, Doctors Without Borders, or the University of Iowa Cancer Center Excellence Fund.

Online condolences and messages may be shared with the family at cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.