Irish got his start in the newspaper industry as a paper delivery boy in Toledo, Ohio, and borrowed money from his mother to manage the route, according to his obituary.San Francisco Chronicle
, in 1979. During his time with the company, he worked in multiple leadership roles, including serving as president of Hearst Newspapers.San Antonio Light,After his retirement in 2008, Irish worked as the vice president and eastern director of the Hearst Foundations, a philanthropic arm of the company.
“George was a member of our family,” William Randolph Hearst III, chairman of the board of directors of Hearst, said in a written statement last week. “We are deeply saddened by his passing but filled with gratitude for his many years of stewardship, professional wisdom and, especially, his friendship.”
Irish met multiple popes, including John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis, his obituary stated. He also met multiple U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush, whom he met in Midland. Irish had three daughters, Sandra, Christine and Diane, with his wife of 39 years, Mary Rettig Irish, who died in 2005. Daughter Diane died when she was an infant, the obituary stated. In 2006, Irish married his second wife, Jeannie Wetherill Irish, and took care of her daughters, Jayne and Amy.. Hojun Choi covers breaking news. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. Before joining the Dallas Morning News, he was a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman.