Business and community leaders throughout the Ozarks are mourning the death of Springfield attorney and businessman Sam Hamra, who died on Friday at the age of 92.
Hama opened the first Wendy’s in Springfield on west Sunshine back in 1976, and Hamra Enterprises owns and runs more than 150 restaurants and other projects across the state.
Hamra’s son, Mike Hamra, who is a Democrat candidate for Missouri Governor, shared word of his father’s death on Facebook Saturday. “He loved his family deeply and cherished and appreciated any time that he could spend in enjoying life with them,” Hamra said.
He loved southwest Missouri and worked to contribute back to the Springfield area.
Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, who awarded Sam Hamra with the Key to the City in 2022, called Hamra “a community builder who expressed his love for southwest Missouri by continually contributing to the Springfield area.” McClure said “Sam was one-of-a-kind and made an impact on so many aspects of Springfield.”
Hamra was named “Springfieldian of the Year” on January 26, 2018.