David I. Szerlip, 73, passed away peacefully at his daughters home on July 9, 2020 after a courageous battle with lung cancer. Known for his generosity, quiet manner and kindness, he was loved, admired and respected by all who knew him.
Born to Lillian (nee) Linett and Herbert Szerlip on April 10th, 1947 he was raised in Millburn, NJ and graduated from Millburn High School in 1965. He then graduated from the University of Miami and joined his father’s insurance agency, Szerlip & Company.
In 1994 he opened up his own agency, David Szerlip & Associates in Berkeley Heights NJ where he was a nationally renowned expert, specializing in insurance for non-profits and social services in the areas of mental health and substance use disorder. He served as a valuable business advisor to many organizations including the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD), guiding such national organizations in all insurance related matters. Aside from possessing a profound business acumen, David had a compassionate heart and understood the suffering of people, who would fall victim to substance use disorder. It is impossible to properly innumerate his many achievements over the course of his long and distinguished career. After selling his agency he returned to the family business. David was a 5th degree blackbelt in Karate, conducting weekly classes with his devoted group of members. David’s contributions and his genuine interest in helping others will be missed.
His greatest loves were his wife and partner of 45 years, his daughter and grandchildren.
He is survived by his loving wife, Kathleen Y. (Gorton) Szerlip, his daughter Kathleen Edelman, her husband Brian and grandchildren, Jonathan and Elise.
David is also survived by his brother Robert, sister-in-law Rayni, niece Lauren (Craig), nephew Bryan (Michael) and their children.
A celebration of David’s life will be held on Saturday, July 18th, 2020 at 4:00 PM at his daughter’s home, (outside abiding by social distancing standards) located at 46 Wynnewood Road, Livingston, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be made in David’s honor by sending a check to the ‘Nonprofit Risk Management Center’ 204 South King Street, Leesburg, VA 20175.
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