A prominent Masterton businesswoman and farmer who found success with her niche shoe company has died after a “determined” fight with cancer.
Georgie Falloon founded Willow Shoes for Long Feet in 2000, when she started selling shoes via paper catalogue and by appointment from her rental flat in Wellington.
She conceived her business idea when she could not find wedding shoes that would fit her feet and realised other women must be in the same position.
The specialty shoe brand went on to become the first online shoe retailer in New Zealand and, at its peak, had four retail stores across the country.
In 2013, it earned her a nomination for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
In March 2025, Georgie was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that develops in the body’s connective and supportive tissues.
Her husband, Jamie Falloon, said she received treatment in Auckland Hospital and in Australia, before being medically evacuated back to New Zealand and brought home with the help of Wellington and Masterton Hospital staff.
“She knew what was coming but she never let it consume her,” Jamie told the Herald.
She died on Sunday in her sleep after a “determined” fight with cancer, her obituary read.
Jamie said his wife was on the board of Dress for Success, a charity that helps people prepare for employment, and donated many of her shoes to them.
She also created a Facebook page called Willow Glow, which allowed her customers to trade their older shoes to others who could not afford them.
“She was one of those people who she never thought just about herself,” Jamie said.
“She loved the happiness and joy the shoes gave people.”
The pair were married for 26 years and Jamie said he would remember his wife as an “incredible person” and a “determined businesswoman”.
Georgie was a mother to three children and a friend to many, who would remember her for her “beautiful sunny attitude”, her obituary read.
“Rest now honey, you will be greatly missed by your loving family, and we will always hold you close to our hearts.”
Georgie was remembered as a lover of clothes and shoes.
Parcels from online shopping orders she made before her death were still arriving on her doorstep, a statement from her family on the Willow Shoes website said.
Running Willow Shoes and Redwood Clothing, Georgie’s clothing business, was not a chore for her but a pleasure, it said.
Georgie came from a farming background and her family owned prominent sheep and beef farm Bowland’s in the Wairarapa region, north of Masterton.
When she was not busy running Willow Shoes and being a mother to their three children, she was turning sheep on the farm and maintaining a big garden, Jamie said.
As per Georgie’s wishes, a private service was held for her by her family.
A public memorial service to celebrate her will be held on November 7 at Bowland’s.
Janhavi Gosavi is a Wellington-based journalist for the New Zealand Herald who covers news in the capital.