FALMOUTH — Friends and colleagues remembered businessman William Zammer as a deeply caring, generous man who worked tirelessly to make life on the Cape better for everyone from foreign workers to those struggling during the pandemic.
Zammer, owner of the Flying Bridge restaurant and Red Horse Inn in Falmouth, Tug Boats restaurant in Hyannis, and Clancy’s Restaurant in Dennis, died Friday.
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His death left “a gaping hole in the soul” of the Cape, according to friend and confidant Troy Clarkson.
Clarkson, a columnist for the Falmouth Enterprise and host of Falmouth Cares Business Roundtable on community television, said Zammer was a true “Renaissance man.” He was successful as a publisher for Tribune Publishing, an executive in the food service industry and an organizational leader in health care before he came to Cape Cod, Clarkson said.
“During COVID, Bill, Mike Kasparian and I realized there was a lack of information for business owners and employees on how to navigate,” Clarkson said. “Consistent with Bill’s approach, he dove in trying to figure out a way to do good in the community.”
The Falmouth Cares Business Roundtable presented subjects surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and how local businesses and Cape employees were affected. Zammer helped pay to print 1,000T-shirts that read, “Falmouth Cares,”
Sales of those shirts raised $10,000 which was donated to the Falmouth Service Center and the nonprofit, “Belonging to Each Other,” according to Clarkson.
“That process was indicative of how he looked at the world,” Clarkson said. “He had insatiable curiosity.”
The importance of taking care of people
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Kasparian, president of the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce, said the roundtable talk shows were a way to share anecdotes from entrepreneurs, nonprofits directors, employees, and leaders of social service organizations about the importance of taking care of people.
Zammer employed many H2B workers from Jamaica. When COVID-19 shut down businesses in March 2020, he sent financial assistance to longtime Jamaican seasonal workers. He also helped Cape Cod workers with food cards while they waited for unemployment assistance.
“He wanted to do the right thing,” Kasparian said.
Kasparian said Zammer’s wife, Linda, played a significant role in helping others.
“They were committed to philanthropy,” he said. “She felt the same way. As a couple, that was their mission. It was always about other people.”
Zammer’s community involvement was extensive. He raised money as the director of the Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation. He was on boards and search committees. He and Linda purchased a transition home for children to live before they moved in with their foster families. He planned a COVID-19 memorial service scheduled to be held in Falmouth on June 27.
Wendy Northcross, CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, remembers him as “a big picture guy.” She recalls him taking a deep dive with other leaders when the Chamber worked on their strategic planning in the mid 2000s. The initiatives that came out of that cut across issues impacting the economic health of the Cape.
“He wanted the chamber to make meaningful impacts,” Northcross said. “It was time for new bridges. He was an adamant believer in the need for immigration reform so the Cape could get a seasonal workforce. He understood that without wastewater treatment, we couldn’t build housing.
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“He had a reputation for being rough and gruff, but he had a gentle caring side.“If someone in his restaurant was having a hard time, he’d peel out cash and hand it to them.”
Kathleen Jespersen, president of Falmouth’s Together We Can, recalled Zammer’s commitment to civic life.
“He was a man filled with thoughtfulness,” she said. “Every fiber of his body reached out to his community.”
“I hope our community can give back to Linda in his memory as much as he’s given to us,” Jespersen said. “We need to think about him in all the ways he thought about us.”
Up to his last day, Zammer was active and engaged, Clarkson said. The two men were planning to have dinner Saturday night prior to the COViD-19 memorial on Sunday. At the memorial they were planning to distribute 60 red roses in honor of those who died from the disease.
Zammer bought the roses on Friday.
“It was a poignant final chapter,” Clarkson said
Contact Denise Coffey at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @DeniseCoffeyCCT.
Source: https://t-tees.com
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