In Memoriam
Douglas C. Plummer
1960-2023
(Photo Provided)
SHARON SPRINGS—Douglas Cameron Plummer, a resident of Sharon Springs, New York since 1992 and previously of Manhattan since 1983, died on Thursday, December 14, 2023 in the comfort of his home. He was 63.
Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania on September 3, 1960, he was the son of Lawrence L. Plummer, who survives, and the late Elizabeth (Jones) Plummer.
Doug grew up in Fairview Village, Pennsylvania, and graduated president of his class in 1978 from Methacton High School. Subsequently, in 1982, Doug earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater from New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire. While enrolled at the college, he spent a year studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he kindled his interest in his Scottish roots, a connection that lasted a lifetime.
After New England College, Doug moved to Manhattan to pursue a career in theater. During this time, he met the love of his life, Garth Roberts.
Eventually, Doug would move to Sharon Springs in 1992 and open a café in the village with Garth. The Rockville Café (1993-2001) provided the foundation for their next business, a restoration of the abandoned 149-year-old American Hotel. The nine-room boutique style hotel and restaurant opened in 2001 and was an instant success. The hotel won three prestigious awards including the Excellence in Historic Preservation (Preservation League of NYS), the NYS Historic Preservation Award (Commissioner’s Private Sector Achievement Award), and the 2002 Historic Preservation Award for Rehabilitation (National Trust for Historic Preservation). The American Hotel also hosted Rachael Ray’s “40 Dollars a Day” and stimulated other development in the village. The café, and later the hotel, became the heartbeat of Sharon Springs. Ever the consummate host, Doug welcomed many people to Sharon Springs. Working the front of the house, he could turn strangers into fast friends with his storytelling, wit and robust enthusiasm.
He loved his community and was dedicated to serving, volunteering, and cultivating local projects. He served on the Sharon Springs Village Board as trustee for eight years and then as mayor from 2013 until his death. As mayor, Doug spearheaded the effort to identify and pursue funding sources to upgrade and modernize village infrastructure. As a mayor and officiant, Doug united people in marriage. Locally, he was active in the Sharon Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Sharon Historical Society, SEEC Advisory Board, and was a founding member of the former Sharon Springs Citizens Council of the Arts. He and Garth Roberts were part of the purchase of the neglected and underutilized Klinkhart Hall and facilitated the creation of the non-profit Klinkhart Hall Arts Center Inc., now on the cusp of a multi-million-dollar restoration.
Survivors include his husband, Garth Roberts; his father, Lawrence Plummer; his step-mother, Prudence Churchill; his mother-in-law, Caroline Roberts; a sister, Melissa (Todd) Plummer-Trice; a brother, Lawrence (Karen) L. Plummer Jr.; a brother-in-law, John Roberts; a sister-in-law, Kate Roberts; seven nieces, Skyler Coelho, Elizabeth Swank, Maxine Young, Abigail Plummer; Jessica Roberts, Mary (Wayne) Jennings, and Carrie Roberts; seven nephews, James Trice, Rex Trice, Colin (Crissy) Roberts, David (Danielle) Roberts, Dylan Roberts, Zachary Bittner, and Joshua (Stephanie) Bittner; and many grandnieces and grandnephews.
He was predeceased by his mother, Elizabeth, in 1981; and a brother, Thomas, in 1974.
A Celebration of Life will be held in the spring of 2024.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Klinkhart Hall Arts Center Inc., PO Box 101, Sharon Springs, NY 13459.