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David Laurence Schmerzler, a lifelong resident of both Westport and Fairfield, died Sunday, June 30. He was vice president of sales at Lindenmeyr Central, a paper company with offices in Southport.
Schmerzler was driving in front of 3330 Sturges Highway when his vehicle was hit by a large limb from a Sassafras tree around 2:16 p.m., Sunday, June 30, said Fairfield Police Capt. Robert Kalamaras.
When first responders arrived on the scene they found Schmerzler unconscious in the driver's seat, Kalamaras said.
He was transported to Norwalk Hospital where he was pronounced dead by hospital staff at 3:18 p.m. Schmerzler's wife, Donna Schmerzler, who sustained minor injuries, was in the passenger seat and his adult daughter was in the rear passenger seat, Kalamaras said. Click here for the Daily Voice report.
Born Nov. 2, 1964, he was a 1983 graduate of Staples High School, and a 1987 graduate of Syracuse University, where he served as president of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
Schmerzler was the third son of Barbara Harlib Schmerzler and the late Seymour B. Schmerzler, who made their home at The Glen in Westport, where his mother still resides.
Schmerzler met his wife, Donna Taussig when they were in the eighth grade at Coleytown Middle School. They married in 1992.
He was a man of diverse and contradicting talents, according to his obituary. He considered himself an athlete because he played high school sports. He was an avid hunter, an accomplished chef, a fantastic skier who spent many winters skiing with family and friends in Stowe, Vermont, a squash player and a lover of a good cigar.
A longtime member of The Patterson Club, and the president of the club at the time of his passing, he loved to play golf, especially with his son Matt. In fact, the day before his death, he and Matt won The Patterson Club Invitational Championship.
He is survived by his wife Donna and children Emily and Matthew; his dog Otis; his mother Barbara Schmerzler; and three brothers Alan, Robert and Daniel; sisters-in-law, Michelle Schmerzler, Laura Ballan Schmerzler, Shawnie Billic and Sharon Taussig; his nephews and nieces Alex Schmerzler, Sydney Schmerzler, Charlie and Libby Schmerzler, and Isabella and Alexandra Pisacane; and his father-in-law Donald Taussig. He was predeceased by his mother-in-law Marilyn Davis.
A celebration of his life was held Sunday, July 7 at Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport, followed by a reception for friends and family members.
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