* K. C. Irving; Billionaire Was One of Canada’s Richest Men

K.C. Irving, 93, the reclusive Canadian billionaire who made his fortune in oil, construction and other industries. Irving, whose Irving Industrial Group stands among North America’s largest private conglomerates, was one of Canada’s richest men. Forbes magazine in 1990 estimated the Irving family fortune at $5 billion in U.S. dollars, the world’s 16th largest. The man who some said virtually ran the maritime Canadian province of New Brunswick was born there. His company owns about 300 private firms mostly in New Brunswick and Quebec. The vast empire includes oil, timber, mining, shipbuilding, construction, real estate, transportation and media. After serving as a pilot in World War I, Irving returned to New Brunswick to open a Model-T Ford dealership in the 1920s and sell gasoline for Imperial Oil Ltd. He later broke with Imperial Oil and started the Irving Oil Co., which became the backbone of his empire. He also inherited a forestry business from his father. On Sunday at an undisclosed location.