Patrick Henry Ford Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Rye - Patrick H. “Pat” Ford of Rye, NH, was officially reunited with his beloved wife Ruthie on June 7, 2021, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Lowell, MA, on July 28, 1942, to Mildred Fay and Patrick Ford, Pat was the older of two boys and was predeceased by his younger brother, Jack, who passed in 2010. Pat was raised by his Aunt, Katherine “Kay” Brick. Kay welcomed Pat and Jack into her home with her own children. After graduating from Keith Academy, in Lowell, MA, Pat went to work at Lamie’s Inn & Tavern in Hampton, NH for the Dunfey Family Hotel Company, which subsequently recommended him to the UNH Hotel School. While in college, he met the love of his life, Ruthie, and they married soon thereafter. After marriage, Pat became the Assistant Food & Beverage Manager at the Eastland Hotel in Portland, ME. He later transferred to Burlington, VT and became the General Manager of what is now the Doubletree Hotel and originally known as the Sheraton Hotel Burlington, VT. Pat subsequently become General Manager of the former Sheraton Wayfarer Bedford, NH, as well as the Parker House in Boston, N/K/A the Omni Parker House. He is credited with establishing the annual budgeting process in the hotel industry. In 1971, the Dunfey Family transferred Pat to Southern California where he assumed regional management duties for five hotels located in Anaheim & San Mateo, CA, Dallas & Houston, TX, and Atlanta, GA. He continued in this position for two years, instituting sales and marketing practices that created huge revenue growth. After that, he returned to Bedford, NH, where he became Director of Hotel Operations for the Dunfey Family’s portfolio of 27 hotels. In 1975, Pat moved his family to Rye to be close to the Dunfey Hotels corporate offices in Hampton, NH and remained in Rye the rest of his life. In 1977, Pat established his own hotel management company which soon expanded into hotel brokerage with New England Hotel Realty; an award-winning firm responsible for brokerage and advisory services for many hospitality owners and many lenders during the financial crises of the late 80’s and early 90’s. He is a former president of the Hotel and Motel Brokers of America. In the mid-90s, Pat started Portsmouth, NH-based Lodging Econometrics the first company to comprehensively track all new hotel development and the status of every open & operating hotel globally using and regularly updating cutting-edge research. Lodging Econometrics now employees 48 people and provides business development and analytical programs for a variety of hotel franchise companies, vendors/suppliers with a product or service to sell within the industry, many ownership and management groups, private equity companies and Wall Street firms. Three of his children continue to operate the business. In 2018, Pat was presented with the distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award for his 55 years of contributions to the hospitality industry by the Lodging Conference in Scottsdale, AZ. Pat was the epitome of a family man and remained active in the Catholic Church his entire life. He served on the Board of Trustees of New Hampshire Catholic Charities for many years. He was also a Knight in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. His other passions included golf, photography, the arts, jazz, reading, world travel and spending as much time with his children and grandchildren as possible; attending all of their events. He remained a loyal fan of the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics. Pat is survived by Patrick H. III “JP”, and his wife, Susan W., of Exeter; Julie F. and her husband, Col. Timothy J. Bailey, USMC, of Hampton; Shawn C. and his wife, Pollyanna G., of North Hampton; his daughter-in-law, Ann Marie L., of Barrington; Bruce A. and his wife, Paula H., of Dover; and Timothy M. and his wife, Lori L., of Somersworth. He also leaves behind beloved grandchildren, Ashlee C. and her husband, Jonathan; and great grandson Ronan, Rhiannon V., Lauren O. and her husband Michael, Tucker J. and his wife Allyssa, Sampson H., Connor R., Patrick H. IV, and his wife Erika L. of Newton, MA; Lochlan E., Jack R., Jake M., Cole M., Mya A., Maxwell J., Ella A., Cooper J., Matthew J., as well as Brandon J. and his wife, Ellen, and great-grandson Miles A. of Beacon, NY; Geoffrey P. and his wife, Tasha, of Dover; and great-grandchildren, Ethan M., Zoe A. and Theodore E. Mr. Ford was predeceased by his wife, Ruthie; his son Kenneth W.; his brother, Jack, of Hampton; sister, Judith Brick, of Florence, MA, and his half-brother Peter Williams of Pennsylvania. Pat will be missed by his brother, Paul Brick, and his wife, Ann, of Port St. Lucie, FL; his brother Michael and his wife, Regina Brick, of Northampton, MA; and his sister, Katherine, and her husband, Rob Voght, of Killingly, CT. Visiting hours will be from 4 to 7 PM on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at Saint Theresa Parish, 815 Central Road., Rye Beach, NH. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 AM on Wednesday with interment to follow in the family lot at the Central Cemetery, Rye, NH. The Mass will be live streamed at https://www.sainttheresachurchrye.org/live-streaming. In Patrick’s memory, contributions may be directed to New Generation, a shelter home for homeless women and children that his loving wife Ruth founded in 1987. To donate by mail, New Generation, P.O. Box 676, Greenland, NH 03840.

Patrick Henry Ford

July 28, 1942 - June 7, 2021