( CNN ) -- William Clay Ford -- grandson of automaker Henry Ford and the figurative father of the Detroit Lions ' NFL franchise -- died Sunday morning after battling pneumonia . He was 88 . The Ford Motor Company -- for which Ford served for 57 years as an employee and board member -- said that Ford died at his home . William Clay Ford Jr. , the company 's former president and current executive chairman , remembered his father as a `` great business leader and humanitarian '' as well as `` a wonderful family man . '' The news about Ford hit especially hard among those associated with the Lions , which he became president of in 1961 and purchased two years later . He was the team 's chairman at the time of his death . `` No owner loved his team more than Mr. Ford loved the Lions , '' Tom Lewand , team president , said . Lions ' greats -- past and present -- weighed in on Twitter . Star wide receiver Calvin Johnson called the news a `` great loss to the Lions family . '' `` Mr. Ford was a visionary that will be missed by all , '' said Hall of Fame former running back Barry Sanders . He leaves behind Martha Firestone Ford , to whom he was married for 66 years , three daughters and his one son , 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren . People we 've lost in 2014 . CNN 's Jill Martin contributed to this report .
William Clay Ford dies Sunday at his home from pneumonia , car company says . He had worked or been on the board at NFL for 57 years . Ford also owned the Ford 's Ford Motor Company since 57 years . Son calls him a `` wonderful family man '' ; William Clay Ford says he was a `` visionary ''