We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Francis William (Bill) Dalglish of London, Ontario. Bill joined Citroën Autoclub Canada in the early 2000’s when he imported a 1974 DS23 Pallas efi that he had commissioned Blickwerks in The Netherlands do a complete restoration. Bill enjoyed driving it frequently from his home in London Ontario to his cottage near Jackson’s Point on Lake Simcoe.
Bill organized a spring outing for the Club to his cottage on May 1, 2004. (You can read more about that event here.) Two years later, needing to scale back in his driving as he was 82, Bill sold his DS to Ken MacGuinness in Toronto.
The fact that Bill loved Citroëns so much was quite remarkable given that he was one of the first employees of Volkswagen Canada. It was while Bill was working at Volkswagen Canada that he met and married Marianne Frank in 1953 and then moved to London ON, where from a small garage on Colborne Street he launched Dalmar Motors, which today is the oldest originally owned VW dealership in Canada.
Bill and Marianne remained married until her death on Dec 1, 2014. They had four children; Frank, Fran, Peter and Michael and were proud grandparents of Michelle, Michael, Peter and Annelie, and great-grandparents of Sam.
Born in Montreal in 1925, Bill was educated at De La Salle College in Toronto and Appleby College in Oakville. From an early age he developed a fascination with automobiles and went on to acquire a formidable collection.
In 1968 Bill imported the first Audi into Canada. As Dalmar Motors prospered, and over the ensuing decades employed many Londoners in its sales office and workshop. Bill prided himself in knowing the names of all his employees, and served as the president of the Federal Automobile Dealers Association of Canada.
Bill and Marianne enjoyed summers at Jackson’s Point Lake Simcoe, auto shows in Frankfurt, and the company of the original Volkswagen fraternity in Canada. Bill was an active member of the Royal Canadian Regiment and served with the 1st Hussars Reserve Unit of the Canadian Army based from the Dundas Street Armoury in London.
We will always remember Bill as being a very affable. A pleasure to engage in automotive conversation and always with a twinkle in his eyes.
Visitors will be received at the John T. Donohue Funeral Home, 362 Waterloo Street at King Street, London on Wednesday, April 15th from 2-4 & 7-9 o’clock. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Peter’s Basilica, 196 Dufferin Street, London, Ontario on Thursday, April 16th at 10 o’clock. Interment St. Peter’s Cemetery. Online condolences can be made at www.donohuefuneralhome.ca