Obituary for William Bramhall Stearns III
Cranberry farmer and golf course owner William Bramhall Stearns III of Plymouth passed away on April 27, 2021 at the age of 71 following a several year battle with heart issues, diabetes, skin cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, and golfers who would not bring their carts in when it got dark. If there would be one thing that “Big Will” would insist on, it would be that people remember him with smiles and laughter, not sadness.
Will is survived by his wife Nancy, children and their spouses Will and Sarah Stearns, Laura and Ted Flynn, and Betsy and JD Marks, and by grandchildren Sam, Maddie, Lucy, Jack, Clara, Anna, and Jane, and his sister Martha Stearns. Will and Nancy met at the University of Maine where his quest to date every finalist for Winter Carnival Queen turned into a 50 year marriage. He was incredibly close to his children and grandchildren.
At Plymouth-Carver High School, Will played running back and cornerback in football and ran the 400 in track. He also played a lot of bog hockey and enjoyed competitive sailing, where he and his friends Butch Fry and Dave Tarantino once sank a boat by dropping a half full beer keg through the hull, during a race.
There was nothing Will did halfway. He loved coaching, whether it was hockey, sailing, or teaching his grandchildren to gamble by organizing pools on whatever sporting events happened to be going on. He would absolutely say that coaching the 1985 Plymouth Peewee B hockey team to a state championship was one of his life’s proudest achievements.
After a checkered one-year high school teaching career, he entered the family cranberry business which was his true passion in life. In the mid-90s, he built a five hole golf course around two of his bogs for personal use, despite having little to no golf experience. When the cranberry market collapsed in the late 90s, his experience with the homemade course led him to build Southers Marsh Golf Club. For two decades Southers Marsh GC was his life, where seven days a week he made many friends and continued a seemingly endless string of adventures. One of his great gifts was writing hilarious recaps of these events, all typed with only his 2 index fingers.
Starting with Jeff Utt, his first hire who lied about his age to get a job, Will was a mentor to countless high school and college aged kids who worked on the bog and at the golf course. He affectionately called these kids “The Nut Squad,” and they were a huge part of his life.
His generous heart had an impact on so many. We will miss the smiles, laughter, and stories.
Services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations in Will’s memory can be made to the Dana J Harju Scholarship Fund, 253 France Street, Middleboro, MA 02346, or the Ouimet Scholarship Fund, www.ouimet.org.
Will is survived by his wife Nancy, children and their spouses Will and Sarah Stearns, Laura and Ted Flynn, and Betsy and JD Marks, and by grandchildren Sam, Maddie, Lucy, Jack, Clara, Anna, and Jane, and his sister Martha Stearns. Will and Nancy met at the University of Maine where his quest to date every finalist for Winter Carnival Queen turned into a 50 year marriage. He was incredibly close to his children and grandchildren.
At Plymouth-Carver High School, Will played running back and cornerback in football and ran the 400 in track. He also played a lot of bog hockey and enjoyed competitive sailing, where he and his friends Butch Fry and Dave Tarantino once sank a boat by dropping a half full beer keg through the hull, during a race.
There was nothing Will did halfway. He loved coaching, whether it was hockey, sailing, or teaching his grandchildren to gamble by organizing pools on whatever sporting events happened to be going on. He would absolutely say that coaching the 1985 Plymouth Peewee B hockey team to a state championship was one of his life’s proudest achievements.
After a checkered one-year high school teaching career, he entered the family cranberry business which was his true passion in life. In the mid-90s, he built a five hole golf course around two of his bogs for personal use, despite having little to no golf experience. When the cranberry market collapsed in the late 90s, his experience with the homemade course led him to build Southers Marsh Golf Club. For two decades Southers Marsh GC was his life, where seven days a week he made many friends and continued a seemingly endless string of adventures. One of his great gifts was writing hilarious recaps of these events, all typed with only his 2 index fingers.
Starting with Jeff Utt, his first hire who lied about his age to get a job, Will was a mentor to countless high school and college aged kids who worked on the bog and at the golf course. He affectionately called these kids “The Nut Squad,” and they were a huge part of his life.
His generous heart had an impact on so many. We will miss the smiles, laughter, and stories.
Services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations in Will’s memory can be made to the Dana J Harju Scholarship Fund, 253 France Street, Middleboro, MA 02346, or the Ouimet Scholarship Fund, www.ouimet.org.