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[[George Christopher Willis]] was born in 1889 in Toronto, [[Ontario]] and affiliated with the exclusive brethren. A biographical excerpt at [https://stempublishing.com/authors/GC_Willis/GCW_Parents_Grandchildren4.html STEM Publishing], written by his daughter, Frances Mary Willis, indicates that he accepted Christ at a young age, and being influenced by ''China's Millions'' from CIM, he studied engineering at [[McGill University]], then proposed to Anna Frances Jean Ogston Malloch with "will you go to China with me?" (vs. "will you marry me?").
They left for China in 1921 and while living in KillingKuling, in Northern China, meeting some liberal Christians he had the idea of starting a bookshop, which he did in Shanghai in 1924, known as the ''Christian Book Room'', which supplied ministry resources to many laborers, including Billy Graham's maternal grandparents.
George and his wife were interned by the Japanese during WWII, then returned to Canada for a short furlough before returning to China where they remained until retiring to Canada in 1967. The bookshop continues in Shanghai, with others of his books reprinted in Hong Kong via Bible Light Publishers. Some of CBR's historical posters can be seen at [https://ccposters.com/publisher/christian-book-room/ CCPosters].
They had four children, including Dr. G.C. Willis who studied medicine at [[McGill University]], the alma mater of his father's, graduating in 1948, and died in 2012 at 89. More on Dr. Willis [https://sites.google.com/site/virtualclinicofdrgcwillis/home/personal-history here]. Dr. Willis' eldest son, Dr. George Christopher Willis, Jr. is an internist in Singapore.
In 2010, W.A. Willis, a descendant, self-published ''Unless a Grain of Wheat'', a biography of G.C. Willis' life on Lulu.com. Links for both paperback and Ebook below.
==Anna Frances Willis==
* ''Tales of the Middle Kingdom''. Christian Book Room, H.K.
** with G.C. Willis
* ''The Days of My Pilgrimage''. Christian Book Room, H.K.
* ''The Days of the Years of My Pilgrimage Being Poems and Occasional Verse'', Christian Book Room, Shanghai.
