<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/" rel="tag">Ford</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/celebrities/" rel="tag">Celebrities</a></p><a href="/2014/03/09/william-clay-ford-dead-at-88/#continued"><img alt="William Clay Ford" data-credit="Ford" data-mep="163537" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/GLOB/crop/1280x848+0+86/resize/628x417!/format/jpg/quality/85/http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/adam/6b9a98ebeab7652dcb5caf419c3c31f4/William-Clay-Ford.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/william+clay+ford/">William Clay Ford</a>, retired vice chairman of <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/ford/">Ford Motor Company</a> and the last surviving grandchild of company founder Henry Ford, died this morning after a bout with pneumonia. He was 88.<br /><br />Ford spent 57 years with his grandfather's company, joining the board of directors in 1948 before graduating from college. Ford also held a position as chairman of the design committee, as well as the chairman of the executive committee and vice chairman of the Board of Directors during his tenure with the company. In a 2013 <em>Detroit Free Press</em> <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20131103/SPORTS01/311030085/Former-vice-chairman-William-Clay-Ford-displayed-keen-eye-car-design">story</a>, retired CFO Allan Gilmour said Ford had an eye for design, and was once able to pick out when a fiberglass model of a Ford Contour was asymmetrical, off by an inch on one side. He retired and assumed the position of director emeritus in 2005.<br /><br />"My father was a great business leader and humanitarian who dedicated his life to the company and the community," said Bill Ford, Jr., Ford's current executive chairman. "He also was a wonderful family man, a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him, yet he will continue to inspire us all."<br /><br />While Ford will be remembered for his longstanding service to his family's company, he may be less fondly remembered by Detroiters as owner of the city's long-suffering NFL team, the Detroit Lions. Ford purchased the Lions in 1963 and has served as its chairman ever since.<br /><br /><a href="/2014/03/09/william-clay-ford-dead-at-88/#continued">Scroll down</a> for the official press release from the Ford Motor Company.<p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/09/william-clay-ford-dead-at-88/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>William Clay Ford Sr. dead at 88</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/09/william-clay-ford-dead-at-88/">William Clay Ford Sr. dead at 88</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Sun, 09 Mar 2014 15:35:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/09/william-clay-ford-dead-at-88/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20846157/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/09/william-clay-ford-dead-at-88/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><div class="feedflare">

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Another sad day in the D.