Jack McIntyre

Jack Walter McIntyre (12th October 1925 - 26 July 2005) was an American businessman, who lived and worked in Leicester, he was the owner of The Leicester Inn hotel, which he opened with his brother in 1949, he was married twice, once to Gwen Newton, who he had five children with, and then to Rose Walmer. He died in Leicester, in 2005.

Biography

McIntyre was born in Queen Elizabeth's Hospital, in New Jersey, the third child of Walter McIntyre and Susannah Tyler, he had two older brothers named Thomas and Gerald and one younger sister named June.

At the age of 24, he moved to England, with his brother Gerald, who he opened a hotel with in Leicester, called The Leicester Inn, however, his brother soon moved back to America, leading their sister June to move to the city and briefly live in the hotel, along with her brother, until she moved in with her boyfriend.

Career

In 1949, McIntyre became the part owner of The Leicester Inn hotel, and in 1950, became the sole owner of it, after his brother gave him his part. Though he did live in the hotel, it was not long after marrying Gwen Newton, that he began to live in a house. Although he was the owner of the hotel, it was managed by his wife, and their children also worked there as teenagers.

In 1971, he and his wife separated, after financial problems separated them, as he could not afford to keep up the payments for the hotel, after many of the guests left, as a new hotel opened nearby. McIntyre and his wife divorced in 1973, and for a brief while the hotel closed, however, when McIntyre married his second wife Rose Walmer, the hotel went through refurbishment and the hotel re-opened and was renamed to The Highlands hotel, which he part owned, along with his wife.

In 2004, after McIntyre was diagnosed with heart cancer, he gave the hotel to his youngest daughter Barbara and her husband.

Private life

Marriages

In 1953, McIntyre married Gwen Newton at St. Mary's Church in Leicester, and for a brief while, she lived with him at his hotel, until she persuaded him to buy a house, which he did. He and Newton ran the hotel successfully, until 1971. Together they had five children named Eric (b. 1956), Victoria (b. 1960), Jonathan (b. 1961), Peter (b. 1963) and Barbara (b.1966). He and Newton decided to divorce in 1973.

In 1974, the following year after divorcing his first wife, McIntyre became remarried to Rose Walmer, who had recently became a widow, she had three children. Before marrying Walmer, McIntyre was going through clinical depression, however, it was not until Walmer had paid for his hotel to re-open, that he began to be happy again. He and Walmer co-owned The Highland hotel until her death in 1997. In 2004, after being diagnosed with heart cancer, he had gave the hotel to his daughter Barbara, who ran it with her husband.

Death

In July 2005, McIntyre fell down the stairs whilst in his house, and he was not discovered until many hours later, by his daughter Victoria, who rung for an ambulance, McIntyre was told by the doctors, that he could no longer live alone, and had to consider moving into a care home or live with a relative. However, on the night of the 26th that month, he suffered from another heart attack, and died. He was found the next morning, by one of the nurses at the hospital, who informed his daughter Victoria.

He was buried at St. Matthew's Cemetery in Leicester, along with his wife Rose.