David Ben Meyer

Dave lived with neurofibromatosis (NF) 1, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form throughout the body, and the rare form of cancer he battled on and off for sixteen years. Through it all, Dave never lost his optimism, his friendly and gracious bearing, and his sense of humor. His tenacity and drive helped him overcome seemingly impossible physical feats to take incredible bucket list trips to DisneyWorld and Paris as his illness progressed.

His family wishes to extend a special thanks to Dave’s expert Johns Hopkins University Hospital team and are profoundly grateful to all who have supported the Meyer family.

Dave was born July 17, 1973 to George and Lynn Meyer of Framingham, Mass. The youngest of four, Dave was doted on by his older sisters and brother and was especially close to his mom Lynn. After attending Framingham High School, Dave moved to Washington, D.C. where he graduated from George Washington University in 1996 with a B.A. in International Business/Economics.

Dave had an unwavering zest for life and a love of good music, food and drink. He parlayed his passions into a career in bartending followed by decades in beverage sales, most recently with Republic National Distributing Company.

Dave met his wife Annalisa while managing and bartending at The Park Bench Pub in D.C.’s Cleveland Park neighborhood in 1999, and they married in 2007. Dave was a devoted dad to daughter Sadie, who was born in 2012. He loved going to the park and the pool, playing backgammon, and watching movies with his girls.

Dave’s favorite pastimes included cooking and mixing cocktails for his family and friends — steak and Manhattans were a specialty. He treasured the lifelong friendships he made during childhood on Ford Lane in Framingham, at GWU with the “DC Posse,” while bartending and making sales in D.C. and, in Cheverly where he built his family with Annalisa and found a true sense of community.

Dave is preceded in death by his mother Lynn and father George. He is survived by his wife Annalisa, daughter Sadie (11), sisters Melinda (Steve) Moses and Diana McCarthy, brother Josh (Michael Chandler) Meyer, nieces and nephews, R.J., Jason and Julia McCarthy, Jessica and Rebecca Moses, Jonah and Norah Meyer and a cherished extended family.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, January 14 at noon at the Little Church at the Fort Lincoln Cemetery, 3401 Bladensburg Road, Brentwood, Md. Reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the GoFundMe campaign (https://gofund.me/6064b325) which has been established to raise funds for Sadie’s education.