WILLIAM ZAMMER

ZAMMER, William "Bill" Jr. Of Cape Cod, died peacefully at home on Saturday, June 26. He was 75 years old. A Norristown, Pennsylvania native, Bill owned and operated lodging and food service facilities on Cape Cod (known as Cape Cod Restaurants, Inc.) since 1988. Bill was a veteran in the hospitality industry. He served as President and CEO of the Seilers/Sodexo Company, a firm employing 15,000 employees throughout the United States beginning in the early 1980's, Chairman of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, and President of the MRA Hospitality Institute (now the MRA Educational Foundation).

Bill was recognized widely for his leadership, insight, and strategic thinking. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Hospitality Hall of Fame in 2003. He was honored by the MRA as the 2009 Restaurateur of the Year, and testified before the United States Congress on behalf of the National Restaurant Association. He also received recognition as Citizen of the Year from the Towns of Falmouth and Mashpee, and as Business Person of the Year and the Pride of Cape Cod from the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

Bill brought a breadth of experience, as well as his signature combination of humor and directness to all of his endeavors. Prior to becoming a hospitality industry leader, Bill was a newspaper publisher with the Tribune Publishing Company, and operated eight weekly papers and a radio station. He also served as a senior labor consultant for Modern Management Methods and was a hospital administrator with Tufts New England Medical Center in the 1970's.

Bill served with tireless dedication and distinction on numerous Cape Cod and regional Boards and organizations. He was the Chairman of Cape Cod Healthcare, Inc., a Trustee of Cape Cod Community College (where he and his wife Linda started the Linda and William Zammer Hospitality Institute), an Advisory Board member of the Upper Cape Regional Technical High School, and a Director of the A. Ray Tye Medical Foundation. He was also a past Director of many community and charitable organizations, including: the Police Athletic League of Cape Cod, the Cape Cod Business Roundtable, the Boys and Girls Club of Cape Cod, Cape Arts & Entertainment, Inc., dba Cape Symphony and Conservatory, the Cape and Islands Workforce Development Board, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board. He served as a Board overseer of the Marine Biological Laboratories at Woods Hole, an incorporator of Cape Cod Five Cent Savings Bank, an advisory board member of Johnson & Wales College and Upper Cape Regional Technical School, and as a past Board Chair of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

Bill and his wife, Linda, received numerous awards for their leadership and philanthropy including the Joshua A. Nickerson Society Award in 2012,and the Cape Cod's Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year award in 2005 from the Philanthropy Partners of the Cape and Islands. Bill attended the University of Pennsylvania, and received his BA in Business Administration and MBA from Northeastern University.

Bill's greatest joy throughout his life remained his wife and family. Bill was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his wife (Linda Raub); his three children, Robert (Marnie) of Peabody, Peter (Colleen) of Abington, and Joanne of Exeter; eight grandchildren, Lindsay Finniss, Morgan Finniss, Julia Ivarson, Lexie Zammer, Lilly Ivarson, Allen John "AJ" Zammer, Kallie Mayo and Reilly Mayo; his mother, Wanda Zammer; his sister, Wandie Little; and his brothers, Thomas Zammer and Louis Zammer. He was predeceased by his father, William, Jr.; his brother, Robert John "RJ;" and his sister, Denise Garrity. Bill also leaves behind a cherished extended family of close friends who loved him enormously and appreciated most of his advice.

Bill lived his life with great exuberance and passion, and was described by many as a true force of nature. He was an accomplished sailor and loved sailing the British Virgin Islands on "Merlin" his 54 foot Little Harbor sailboat while wearing his usual untucked navy blue polo shirt and khaki shorts; building elaborate furniture in his woodworking shop; hosting family and friends apres ski in his house in Attitash, New Hampshire; relaxing at the family farm in Kensington, New Hampshire; and visiting his favorite fried chicken spot while vacationing at his home in the Isles of Capri in Florida.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 AM on Friday, July 2, at Christ the King Church, 5 Job's Fishing Rd., Mashpee. Visiting Hours are not being held and Burial is private. The family requests that friends who wish to express sympathy consider making a donation to their favorite charity in Bill's name. For online guestbook, please visit chapmanfuneral.com