A fond farewell at The Nathaniel Witherell 

On Sept. 20, Larry Simon, who was chair of the board of directors of The Nathaniel Witherell  from 2016 to April of this year, and David Ormsby, chairman of the Friends of Nathaniel Witherell since 2006 – were honored by the Greenwich-owned and -operated skilled nursing and short-term rehabilitation facility. 

As he reminisced about his 20-plus years of volunteer service in Greenwich, Simon said: “When I tell people who are looking to make Greenwich their home, I point out that Greenwich is multigenerational, and I ask them to consider the entire picture – the schools, cultural life, shopping and also the fine care we provide to our elderly at The Witherell….You can take the measure of our community by how well we care for our most vulnerable.” 

Ormsby concurred and thanked everyone for the support. “Appointing Larry and organizing Project Renew were two of the best things I ever did,” he said, referring to the two-year campaign beginning in 2013 that raised more than $9 million to refurbish and modernize The Nathaniel Witherell. 

Brad Markowitz presented both men with commemorative plaques, and John Mastronardi, executive director of The Nathaniel Witherell, gave the closing remarks, which summed up the spirit of the day:   

“While David and Larry have decidedly different leadership styles, they share some very important values. They dedicated their time, energy, intellect, heart and lives in the service of others and achieved one of the noblest distinctions anyone can aspire to – to become a servant leader. The people they’ve served have often been the least recognized and most forgotten, which makes their service to Greenwich that much more honorable.”   

For more, visit thenathanielwitherell.org.