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The American brewery lost an icon this weekend.
William "Bill" K. Coors, grandson of Coors founder Adolph Coors and former chairman of the company's board, died Saturday at his home, the company said. He was 102 years old.
For more than 65 years in the company, Coors has helped transform a regional brewery, distributed in only a few Western states, into one of the largest breweries in the world. Under his leadership, Coors revolutionized the beer industry with the introduction of the recyclable aluminum beer can in 1959.
Bill Coors is survived by three children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
"Today, our father, our grandfather and our uncle are dead," said the Coors family in a statement. "Bill was a constant and consistent mentor and leader of our family, both professionally and personally. He shared with us his passion for brewing, his dedication to well-being and his commitment to sharing our family legacy with future generations. He was dedicated to our family, our family businesses and had a positive impact on our community. Bill's leadership, his stories and his smile will be missed. "
Bill Coors continued to taste Coors beer until his 100th birthday – and, according to company spokesman, Colin Wheeler, "He was so talented in his work that he knew where to say the beer had been brewed! "
In 2003, at the age of 87, Mr. Coors retired from the boards of the Adolph Coors Company and the Coors Brewing Company, although he was remained in the company as chief technical advisor.
He maintained a positive outlook on life, learning to overcome the ups and downs of a demanding business.
"I took my kicks," Coors was quoted as saying by the company. "But I had a fascinating life and I was richly rewarded."
Molson Coors President and CEO Mark Hunter lamented the death of Bill Coors in a statement, saying the company "stands on the shoulders of giants like Bill Coors".
"His dedication, hard work and ingenuity have helped shape not only our company, but the entire beer industry," Hunter said.
Bill Coors was born on August 11, 1916, the second son of Adolph Coors Jr. and May Coors. He grew up in the shadow of Coors Brewery with his three brothers and sisters, Adolph III, Joseph and May. The brewery was their playground, where they filmed movies at home, rowed canoes along the creek and made models of wooden aircraft in the company's workshop.
Coors particularly liked the piano, which he played from age 6 and up to his eldest.
At age 13, Coors left the state to travel to the Phillips Exeter Academy, a reputed New Hampshire boarding school. It was there that he learned to line up the crew, which he continued to enjoy in college. He received his Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University in 1938.
After graduating from Princeton in 1939, Coors returned to Golden to work for his father.
The development of the recyclable beer can in 1959 is perhaps one of his most proud and well-known achievements, the company said. At the time, beer was sold in tin-coated steel containers that altered its quality and taste. Bill Coors understands that beer cools faster in aluminum, is lighter and less expensive to transport, without altering taste. The launch of the can has led to one of the most successful recycling programs in the country: money versus cans.
In 2017, Bill Coors received the Jeff Becker Award from the beer industry for services dedicated to the beer industry. Over the years, he has collaborated with many civic, educational, and commercial organizations, including Metro Denver Boys and Girls Clubs, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and the Colorado School of Mines Foundation.
The Coors family will not hold official memorial ceremonies, as directed by Bill Coors. Instead of flowers or other feelings, the family invites people to contribute to the William K. Coors Memorial Fund, organized by the Denver Foundation.
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