William "Bill" Mally

Some men keep time by the calendar. Bill Mally kept it by the car engines he brought back to life.

William “Bill” Mally died at home in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 26, 2026, six days short of his 96th birthday. He was 95.

Born July 2, 1930, to Frank and Inez Mally, Bill was a Des Moines man through and through. His knack for engines showed up early — as a kid, he strapped a gas-powered motor to his bicycle, and he never really stopped tinkering after that. He carried that gift into the Army, serving during the Korean War, and then into a lifetime behind the wheel and under the hood as owner of Mally’s Hiland Garage, where he earned a reputation as a master mechanic.

Bill married the love of his life, Judy, and the two built a life together that lasted 64 years. Judy was his steady companion through it all — the garage years, the road trips, the long afternoons spent puttering over an engine while she kept things running at home. Theirs was a partnership built to last, much like everything Bill ever got his hands on.

What he built for work, he perfected for love. Over a lifetime in the trade, Bill worked on it all — the great classics and every generation of automobile that rolled through his career, from the Model T’s and Model A’s of his early days to the cars of decades that followed. But few things made him prouder than the day he got to work on a Duesenberg. It was the kind of opportunity most mechanics only dream of, and Bill never stopped counting it among the great privileges of his life.

A longtime member of the Antique Automobile Club of Iowa, he treasured the road trips to car shows with friends nearly as much as the cars themselves — and more often than not, Judy was right there beside him. Give him a clear afternoon, a country road, his 1966 Cadillac or 1970 Ford Torino, Judy in the passenger seat, and some country music on the radio, and Bill was exactly where he wanted to be. He loved camping, boating, and fishing too, but the cars — and Judy alongside him — were always closest to his heart.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Inez Mally; his son, Robert “Bob” Mally, in 2022; and his siblings, Dr. Arthur Mally, Gene Mally, and Marlys Scherlin.

Bill leaves behind his wife of 64 years, Judy Mally; his daughter, Rhonda Fothergill (Dennis); four grandchildren, Paul Fothergill, Jeremy Mally, Justin Mally, and Kindra Powell; and six great-grandchildren — along with a lot of well-tuned engines and the people who loved riding alongside him.

A Celebration of Life honoring Bill will be held at a later date. Full details will follow.

Please share a condolence or special memory of Bill at www.hamiltonsfuneralhome.com

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