Flight Lieutenant William Laird Rutherford

Her mother died when she was 16, and at 18 years of age, Lil returned to Galt. While going to business college, she also worked as a maid/nanny for some wealthy area families. She made a leap of faith and moved to Paris to work as a legal secretary. She boarded at the YWCA, which was next to St. Paul’s United Church. In the late 1930’s she met William Laird Rutherford and they dated.

William Laird Rutherford was born in Paris to William Rutherford and Frances Elsie Laird. Bill was raised on the Rutherford family farm in South Dumfries, where the Paris Fire Department now sits at 61 Dundas St. E.

In the late 1930’s he met Augustine Lillian “Lil” Buchanan and they dated.

During his school years, Bill worked for this father at Rutherford’s Feed Store now the location of Cobblestone Pub, but he did not want to stay in the business. Instead, Bill started working for the A&P grocery store in Paris, located where Gem is now. He soon became the youngest manager in the chain. When the war started, he was the first from Paris to enlist in the Air Force. He did not want to wait in case he got drafted into the Army. As soon as he enlisted Lillian decided to do the same! She enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Women’s Division and took her basic training in Rockcliffe, Ontario.

They were hardly ever stationed at the same base. She was assigned to the War Ministry’s Office of the Court of Inquiry in Ottawa where she worked with seven lawyers drafting a new book of Rules and Regulations for the RCAF Women’s Division. Bill became a Flight Lieutenant and flying instructor. Bill soon proposed and they were married on July 7, 1942 at the Paris Presbyterian manse with the reception at the Rutherford family farm. At the time he married, Bill was living with his family, and Lil had an apartment above 23 William Street. Soon after the wedding he convinced Lil to resign and move back to Paris “where his family could keep an eye on her”. Lil returned to Paris to the same law firm, where she remained until 1981.

Bill received orders to go to England to go to train pilots and served in England until the end of the war. He returned to manage A&P stores in Paris, Brantford and Waterloo. He chose to stay in Paris to raise his family of three with Lil at 123 Willow Street, rather than work his way further up the corporate ladder. When his father was ill in the 1960’s, Bill returned to the family business in 1966 for 15 years along with Lil, when their youngest son, Rod, took over.

Bill became an active member of Branch #29, Paris Legion for forty years but initially it was only for men. It was not until the seventies that the Associate Member category was created and Lil was finally a member along with all their children. Bill spent many years serving on the Legion executive and they all followed his example, serving in an assortment of offices. Lil was Legion secretary for 18 years and was eventually awarded a Life Membership. She also wrote the Legion News & Views for The Paris Star for a few years. Lillian was extremely surprised and honoured that when the new Brantford Cenotaph was to be dedicated, she was chosen to unveil the Air Force women’s statue. She and Bill never missed a November 11^th Remembrance Day service.

Leading Aircraftwoman Lillian Rutherford lived to be 94. She died in March, 2008 and is buried in the Paris Cemetery with her husband Flight Lieutenant William Rutherford, who died on August, 25, 1987.