Eminent Bermuda businessman David Gutteridge has died at the age of 70 following a distinguished career in the real estate and banking industries.

Mr. Gutteridge ran deposit and real estate company LP Gutteridge Ltd. and was subsequently executive vice-president of Bermuda Home when the former was merged with the Bank of Bermuda's lending and deposit subsidiary Bermuda Mortgage & Finance Ltd. in 1994. Four years later it was sold back to the bank for $60 million.

Mr. Gutteridge was appointed to the board at the bank in September 1987 and retired from the post in May 2009 after almost 22 years service as a director and member of several committees.

A shareholder in the bank, Mr. Gutteridge was also a director of the Bank of Bermuda Foundation from its incorporation in 2000 until his death, as well as chairing the Foundation's investment committee.

Brian Madeiros, president of Coldwell Banker Bermuda Realty, who had dealings with Mr. Gutteridge during the merger, said it was a honour to have known and worked with him.

"As a young child and into my pre-teen years I had fleeting encounters with Mr Gutteridge and I found him to be a caring man with an easy going personality and a great deal of humility," he said.

"Our paths crossed again much later in life in a professional capacity following the merger between the Bank of Bermuda and LPG to form Bermuda Home and Bermuda Realty.

"I soon discovered that the passage of time had not changed who he was and that, innately, Mr Gutteridge realised how valuable compassion and integrity were to him and to the real estate industry.

"Mr Gutteridge lived a personal brand which earned him great respect from the community at large. It is indeed a privilege to have been an integral part of the evolution of LPG and it is my hope that my personal brand will continue to mirror his throughout my personal and professional life."

HSBC Bermuda chief executive officer Philip Butterfield said: "We had a deep appreciation for David's services. He provided wise counsel, and was always a deliberate contributor."

John Campbell, chairman of the HSBC Bermuda board of directors said Mr. Gutteridge was one of the bank's longest-serving directors when he stepped down from the board last year.

"He has to have been one of the most conscientious of our directors in his perfect or near-perfect attendance over many years at meetings of the board and the committees of which he was a member," Mr. Campbell said.

"David was universally respected for his integrity and honesty in his dealings with others and for the quiet modesty which belied the considerable achievements of his business career."

Mr. Gutteridge, who lived in Devonshire, is survived by his wife Jean, eight children and 11 grandchildren.

His funeral was held at St. Theresa's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Hamilton on Monday and he was buried at St. Mark's Churchyard in Smith's.