David Alexis Lawer

No one quite possibly owned more khaki pants and polo shirts than David Lawer. He bought them in bulk, frequently. He bought a lot of things in bulk, frequently. Add rows of ties, holiday pants that lit up a party, and countless pairs of golf shoes. Golf was David’s life-long passion, inspired by his father. In August of 2021, David Lawer took his last drive down life’s golf course – a forever loved son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather who will be sorely missed.

Born in New York City to Anne and Alexander Lawer, David and his sisters, Lisa Lawer Post and Sasha Lawer, grew up in New York and New Jersey. He was a gifted and passionate athlete from a young age – most notably, a state champion soccer goalie in high school, a football player attending Duke University on a scholarship, and a rugger playing the position of hooker for the Duke University rugby team.

It was at Duke, on Sigma Chi Derby Day, that he met Betsy Cuddy, whose father was also a rugby hooker, having played for Stanford. David introduced Betsy to the real, bawdy rugby lyrics of rugby songs she had learned as sanitized lullabies sung by her father. David followed Betsy north to Alaska, where he worked construction summers, paving roads and the tarmac at the Anchorage International Airport to pay off his college debts and save money for law school. David and Betsy married in 1972 and spent the next forty-nine years together.

David graduated from McGeorge Law School in California in 1976 at the top of his class. During his years at McGeorge, David and Betsy spent time in the Napa and Sonoma wine country, later buying vineyards and starting a winery. Their first brand, Hooker, was a tribute to David’s time as a rugby player at Duke, with varietals appropriately named, “Sin Bin Zin,” “Old Boys Cab,” and “Loose Ruck Red,”

After passing the Bar, he entered private practice for seventeen years, specializing in commercial and banking law. In 1993, he became Senior Vice President & General Counsel of First National Bank Alaska, his principal client for many years. Nearly twenty-five years later, he retired as Executive Vice President. A fervent supporter of the Alaskan community, he served as President of the American Lung Association of Alaska, Trustee of Alaska Regional Hospital, President of the Alaska Bankers Association, Director of the Alaska Oil Support Industry Alliance and served on the Board of Trustees of the Alaska Chapter of American Red Cross. For many years he was an advisor to the Kachemak Bay Shellfish Association, and, true to his East coast roots, built an oyster shell driveway at their home in Homer. In 2020, he was the recipient of the Alaska Business Hall of Fame award and was recognized by Junior Achievement for his business acumen and work as a mentor to young people and an advocate for his community.

In 1979, David and Betsy gave birth to their daughter, Sarah Lawer, the light of their lives. The golf driving range staged his parenting, the soccer field sideline held him from the penalty box, and his cooking provided a warm respite after a day of skiing. Time on the duck flats, in fall’s golden glow and remote from the day-to-day, is when what mattered most shined brightest – spending time with each other.

Regardless of the size of the crowd, David always cooked for an army. No one was a stranger at his table. His marinated flank steak and barbequed bone-in ham are family favorites, signature dishes for the holidays and any gathering, and are perpetually on the house menu for his two grandchildren to grow up loving. Celebrating major and miniscule milestone moments were important to David and Betsy and they didn’t miss an opportunity to visit Sarah and her husband, Frank Guanco, in Seattle, Washington with their children, Meryl (5) and Holmes (2).

David also leaves his sisters Lisa Lawer Post (David) and Sasha Lawer (Mark), his in-laws, Laurel Stutzer (Fred), Lucy Mahan (Mark), Jane Klopfer (Gary), Gretchen Cuddy, and David Cuddy (Kathy), as well as many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

A celebration of life will be held next spring, on the opening day of the 2022 golf season, when, hopefully, COVID surges will have past and we can all safely gather.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Red Cross of Alaska.

By Mail:

American Red Cross of Alaska

235 E. 8th Ave, Ste. 200

Anchorage, Alaska 99501

Please put “In Memory of David Lawer (AK Region)” in the signature line

Online:

https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/

Select “donate to your local chapter” and enter “David Lawer” in the open text box