Last week, we lost a beloved member of our Cape Cod Chamber family — Patti Lloyd, who passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Patti served this organization and this region for 24 years, most recently as our Senior Vice President of Sales. She retired just over a year ago, but her presence, energy, and love for Cape Cod have never left us.
Patti was synonymous with Cape Cod. She embodied the spirit of this place — welcoming, hardworking, and endlessly proud of the Cape she called home. Whether she was greeting visitors, parking tour buses, representing the region at national travel shows, or helping local businesses thrive, Patti gave everything she had to this community she loved so deeply.
I first met Patti in 2003, 23 years ago, when I was the Assistant Town Manager in Barnstable, and she was organizing and chaperoning a trip to Boston to sit in the bleachers at Fenway Park and watch the Red Sox. Even then, she was an unforgettable personality — full of energy, good humor, and heart. Years later, when I had the privilege of working alongside her here at the Chamber, sharing an office across the hall for four years, I came to know just how special she truly was.
She always made sure I knew what was happening in the community — and she never failed to check whether I had eaten. When things weren’t perfect, she could always make me laugh, and when things got challenging, I could count on her to tell me, “Buck up, soldier.” It always worked. She was one of a kind.
She was a force of nature — always on the move and always on the job. There was nothing halfway about Patti. She showed up for Cape Cod every single day, and the results of her work can be seen in the lasting strength of our travel and tourism industry, and in the friendships she built with colleagues and partners across Massachusetts and across the country.
Patti will be remembered by residents and visitors alike, and by everyone in the travel and tourism industry who had the privilege of working alongside her. But for those of us who knew her personally, it’s her heart and her commitment that will stay with us most.
I will remember her for her years of devoted service to Cape Cod — service that was never about recognition, but about love for this place and its people. That kind of wholehearted commitment to community was a privilege to witness, and it continues to remind me of the standard we should all strive to meet in our own work and service.
Our thoughts are with Patti’s family, friends, and colleagues as we remember her remarkable life and legacy. She made Cape Cod better — and all of us better for having known her.
—Paul Niedzwiecki
CEO, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce