Ashok Patel, owner of numerous Boone hotels, died Wednesday, according to family and friends.

Patel, 54, was a native of Loughborough, England, and graduated from the Royal College of Science with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, according to The Mountain Times archives.

He arrived in the High Country in the early 1980s and gradually acquired a number of Boone hotels. In a letter to the Boone Town Council in December, Patel listed La Quinta, Sleep Inn, Best Western, Country Inn & Suites, Super 8, Red Carpet Inn, Highland Hills Motel and Scottish Inn as family-owned properties.

Patel most recently lived in Loganville, Ga., with his wife of four years, Linda Muzquiz. He leaves behind an extended family, including his father, Maganlal Patel, of Dungri, Gujarat, India, and three children: Jason Ashok Patel of Raleigh, Justin Ashok Patel of Boone and Selina Patel of Boone.

The cause of Patel’s death has not been confirmed.

The family will hold private funeral services, and Patel's ashes will be spread at Grandfather Mountain.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Watauga Humane Society.