BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – David Ward Merson of Boynton Beach, Fla. and Lewiston, died on Sept. 28, 2021. He was 87.
David graduated from Lewiston High School in 1952 and Brown University in 1956.
He served in the U.S. Army in the late 1950s. A proficient typist, he took an assignment as a clerk in Livorno, close to Pisa. While there, he used a small inheritance from his Aunt May to buy a red Porsche roadster. He returned to the States with a lifelong affection for Italy and a cool, if unsafe, car.
Before coming home to Lewiston to work in the family business, Ward Bros., an upscale women’s retail store, David earned a master’s from the University of Pittsburgh and worked for a short period of time in New York as a buyer for Bloomingdales. Under David and his cousin’s leadership, Ward Bros. grew to three locations in Maine’s largest cities, outfitting the state’s most stylish women and their daughters in furs, dresses, and accessories for life’s special occasions.
Business and family travel were a constant. David was on the road to the stores and on flights to New York and other locales to buy merchandise for the next season or to meet with his buying group. When they sold the business in 1987, Joyce and David retired to Florida. There they enjoyed many years of good health and family visits.
David grew up in a card-playing family: pinochle, cribbage, bridge, blackjack, and poker. In Boynton Beach, Fla., David channeled his childhood experience and his ability to do math and calculate probabilities quickly in his head into bridge, playing with friends for fun and in tournaments to achieve the level of Life Master. His wife thought he was a good player, but not a good teacher.
David enjoyed newspapers, often more than one a day, and went out of his way for the Sunday New York Times; live performances, jazz in particular; and the beach and a lobster roll in Ogunquit, even on chilly summer days. He treasured experiences traveling and made trips in recent years to South Korea with his in-laws. He savored meals prepared by his son-in-law, Chris.
David was a straight-thinker and offered sound advice on major life decisions and restaurants. He was understated in his manner; he treated people decently and expected the same. He had quiet integrity. Over many years, he even became a patient man.
David loved his family and was often amused, and sometimes bemused, by them. He made close and lifelong friends in Maine, college, business, and the Aberdeen community. His children will greatly miss his sage wisdom, support, and love.
David is survived by his daughter, Martha Merson and her partner Myra Love, his daughter, Andrea Lawrence and her husband Chris Lawrence, his son, Gary Merson and his wife Somee Kim; and his friend, Gail Tukel, with whom he spent much of the last 15 years.
David’s wife, Joyce Sessler Merson, died in 2006; and his sister, Norma Merson Bloom and her husband, Aaron Bloom, predeceased him.
A private, in-person memorial service was held Sept. 30. A video is available online at: Mr David Merson.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to
Documenting Maine Jewry (https://mainejews.org/), HIAS (HIAS – Welcome the stranger. Protect the refugee), or another charity you think David would have supported.