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Gerald Rappaport's résumé included operating the Hilton Milwaukee City Center and the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee.
He most recently was general manager of the Skirvin Hilton in Oklahoma City.
Rappaport, 58, died on Friday.
He suffered a major stroke as the Skirvin and other hotels operated by Milwaukee-based Marcus Corp. were forced to temporarily close because of plunging demand tied the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Oklahoman newspaper.
Rappaport started his career with Marcus Corp. when the company operated the Sheraton Mayfair, now known as the Radisson Hotel Milwaukee West, in Wauwatosa, said Peggy Williams-Smith, president and chief executive officer at Visit Milwaukee, which markets the area to convention planners and vacationers.
He was general manager at Marcus Corp.'s downtown Milwaukee Hilton from 1996 to 2005. The hotel went through a major expansion, tied to construction of the Wisconsin Center convention facility, during Rappaport's tenure.
After Marcus Corp. bought the downtown Wyndham, now Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel, Rappaport worked there, and as general manager at the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel, before becoming general manager of the Hyatt, Williams-Smith said.
He led the Hyatt through a major renovation that was completed in 2009.
In 2013 he returned to Marcus Corp., operating various hotels, before taking the Skirvin job in 2015.
"He was a true hotelier who mentored many hospitality leaders in Milwaukee," Williams-Smith said.
"Gerald was an integral part of our hotel management team for many years, leading several of our major hotels through expansions and changes with skill and passion," said Greg Marcus, Marcus Corp. president and CEO.
"He was one of those genuine people who truly loved the hospitality business, always putting our guests and associates first. He will be greatly missed," Marcus said.