Hotelier Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart died today (January 4), leaving family, friends and thousands of employees in mourning.

Stewart, the founder of Sandals Resorts International and the ATL Group, was 79.

Stewart’s son, Adam, confirmed his passing.

A towering business figure, both locally and overseas, Stewart was the face of the Sandals chain of resorts throughout the Caribbean islands of Jamaica, The Bahamas, St Lucia, Antigua, Turks & Caicos, as well as Barbados and Grenada.

In an internal memorandum to Sandals employees tonight, Adam Stewart, the company’s deputy chairman, said his father had chosen to keep a very recent health diagnosis private and that wish had been respected.

The content of the memorandum was also published by The Jamaica Observer newspaper, which the elder Stewart founded and owned.

“The Hon Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart OJ, a distinction he was so proud of, was a gifted entrepreneur. He was a marketing genius and talented showman, but those who knew him best recognised that he was a dreamer who could dream bigger and better than anyone. It was often said, ‘the best thing for people around him to do is be dream catchers’,” the younger Stewart said.

“That’s why he always credited his success to the incredible team around him, why he listened intently when it came to creating innovative things that would excite and delight our guests, and why it is so important that I remind you today of all days, that we will all continue to be his dream catchers.”

He added: “Together, we have all been part of something bigger than ourselves, led by a man who believed in us and who gave us opportunities to learn, grow and the tools to make dreams real. For him, and because of him, we will continue to dream big and deliver on his certainty that true luxury is always best enjoyed by the sea.

“My Dad lived a big life – husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather entrepreneur, statesman, dreamer. A singular personality and an unstoppable force who revelled in defying the odds, exceeding expectations and whose passion for his family was matched only by the people and possibility of the Caribbean, for whom he was a fierce champion.”

In the memorandum, Adam Stewart encouraged persons wishing to share memories, personal stories and photos of the impact of Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart to email their thoughts to [email protected].

‘All that’s good’, he noted, was his father’s iconic sign off.

READ: A loss to Jamaica and the Caribbean: Holness pays tribute to Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart