Sam Hamra was 92-years-old when he died Friday night.
Hamra was the son of a Lebanese immigrant and was born and grew up in Steele, Missouri.
He opened his first Wendy's restaurant on W. Sunshine in Springfield in 1976. His company, Hamra Enterprises, went on to own several Wendy's and Panera franchises. The company is now run by his son, Mike Hamra, who became president and COO in 2005. Hamra is currently running for the Democratic nomination for Missouri governor, which voters will decide on August 6.
The business also owns several Noodles & Company locations as well as Caribou coffee franchises for a total of 198 restaurants in 11 states with 7,400 employees.
Hamra studied business and law at the University of Missouri and went on to serve in the U.S. Army. He spearheaded the expansion of Fort Leonard Wood while serving as U.S. civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army for the Western District of Missouri from 1997-2003, according to the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, which awarded Hamra the 2018 Springfieldian award.
He practiced law for more than five decades in Springfield and founded Legal Services of Southern Missouri. The organization now serves 43 southern Missouri counties with 18 full-time attorneys.
Hamra served on numerous boards and commissions for nonprofit organizations in southwest Missouri.
He served as Nixa city attorney and was instrumental in building the city's Electrical Distribution System, according to a statement from the City of Springfield. Hamra also served as Branson's governmental relations attorney and secured funding for widening Highway 65 from Christian County to Branson.
Hamra was instrumental in obtaining funding for the widening of Chestnut Expressway in Springfield from Highway 65 to Kansas Ave.
On Saturday, Mike Hamra posted on his Facebook page that he was grateful that Hamra was his father.
"He loved his family deeply and cherished and appreciated any time that he could spend in enjoying life with them."
Hamra wrote that his dad loved southwest Missouri and worked to give back to the area that he and his wife called home for 65 years.
Springfield Mayor Ken McClure said in a statement that he sends condolences to Hamra's family.
"Sam was a community leader and expressed his love for southwest Missouri by continually contributing to the Springfield area," said McClure. "Sam was one-of-a-kind and made an impact on so many aspects of Springfield.
