PATRIARCH of the prominent Matalon family, Mayer Matalon, died yesterday after ailing for some time.

The business mogul would have been 90 on March 3.

Yesterday, his son, Joseph M, who is president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, was too distraught to speak when the Observer contacted him. However, his daughter-in-law Tracey described him as a “wonderful family man who was loved so much by his children and grandchildren”.

“Everyone is in a state of sadness,” she said, adding that it was a very difficult time for the family as they were trying to deal with their loss.

She said there was so much to say about this stalwart, but it was too difficult for the family to speak in this time of grief.

Matalon, a recipient of the Order of Jamaica, was married to Sarita and was the father of four daughters and one son.

The Jamaica College old boy resigned his seat on the board of two Scotiabank companies last May after 45 years as a director with the banking group.

He became a director of Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica on December 15, 1966 and was deputy chairman for most of his tenure.

In September 2006, the Scotiabank Jamaica Foundation/Mayer Matalon Undergraduate Scholarship was established in the deputy chairman’s honour. The scholarship is tenable at the Department of Management Studies, University of the West Indies.

Matalon was also deputy chairman of the ICD Group of Companies which includes the real estate development company WIHCON.

He also served as Jamaica’s ambassador for special missions and was inducted into the PSOJ Hall of Fame in 1994.