Robert “Bob” Zygarowski
Photo credit: City of Chicopee
CHICOPEE — At-Large City Councilor Robert “Bob” Zygarowski is what people knew him as recently, but since his passing was announced on March 24, Chicopee and surrounding communities have expressed their condolences for the legacy he left in many different roles.
Zygarowski was a dedicated resident of Chicopee since 1975, and constantly expressed his love for the city and community.
He married his beloved wife and best friend, Patricia, “Patti” (MacDonald) Zygarowski in 1975, and they were married for 40 years until Patti’s death on Jan. 8, 2024. He cherished his two sons, Ryan and Sean, and his grandson, Jack.
Zygarowski first served the city as a police officer for 28 years after being first appointed as a patrolman in July 1974. He later became the first K9 officer from July 1983 to July 1990 with K9 Officer Intrepid.
He also served as an acting sergeant from May 1991 to March 1994 and was also the first D.A.R.E. Officer within the city — work of which he was proud of.
When the mayor’s office posted the news of Zygarowski’s passing on their Facebook, hundreds of people commented thanking “Officer Bob” for all the work he did in the community and with the D.A.R.E. program. Many adults said they remembered him coming to their class when they were in middle school.
City Council President Frank Laflamme reflected on times he was out in the community with Zygarowski and people recognized him as his D.A.R.E. officer.
“When I was out with people with Bob, people would come up to Bob and say to him, ‘Mr. Zygarowski, you were my D.A.R.E. officer,’ and it made him smile because of the fact that he sees people that he helped throughout his years. That made him happy the many times I’ve been with him,” Laflamme said.
Many people also called Zygarowski dedicated, a mentor, leader, amazing person and recount seeing him always talking to people in the community, especially at Petro’s a couple times a week.
City Councilor Sam Shumsky reminisced on the time he got to spend with Zygarowski on the City Council, including when he was given a vote of confidence from the late city councilor.
Shumsky said, “Bob was one of the very first people who took a chance on me politically five years ago. When I was just starting out, he voted for me to join the Planning Board. That vote meant more than just a seat at the table — it was a vote of confidence, a belief in my potential and a gesture I’ll never forget.”
Zygarowski retired with the Chicopee Police Department on July 31, 2002, but his public service to the city did not stop after his retirement. He was elected to the Chicopee Board of Alderman and City Council in 2003, and served as an at-large member until the present day.
His focus as a city councilor was the safety and protection of the community. He was a longtime chairperson of the Public Safety Subcommittee and one of his famous mottos was, “If you see something, say something.”
He also served as the vice president of the City Council for several terms.
Laflamme highlighted how dedicated Zygarowski was in serving the city even when he was in the hospital.
“I’m just glad that I had time last week to go visit him at the hospital with Councilor [Jerry] Roy and I went to visit him at night and spent some time with him and we talked about a lot of things. One of the things he did say was ‘hey, I’m going to be getting out of here and I’m going to be at the next meeting’ or ‘I’m running again.’ It’s unfortunate it didn’t happen that way,” Laflamme said.
In honor of his passing, Chicopee lowered the flags to half-staff throughout the city.
Although it was not his primary concern, when asked about the future of the City Council, Laflamme did explain that his hope was to eventually nominate a new vice president which would then be approved with a vote from the full City Council.
Shumsky talked about the lasting impact Zygarowski left on the city.
He said, “A police officer for 30 years, a D.A.R.E. officer, the first K9 officer, he was a city councilor, he ran for mayor, he was the vice president of the city council for a number of years and I think his commitment to public service is something that will be remembered for a long, long time.”
