Lon L. Day Jr., a Springfied native and a former member of the Days Inn board of directors, died Wednesday in Duluth. He was 79.

Day, the son of a Baptist minister, was chairman of the board of the First American Innkeepers and was chairman of Day Realty until 2003. His brother, the late Cecil Day, founded the Days Inn of America, Inc., chain of motels.

Lon L. Day Jr.'s funeral is scheduled for Saturday in Duluth at Parkway Baptist Church at 2 p.m.