David Williamson Smith

David Williamson Smith of Scarsdale, NY died peacefully surrounded by family on Dec. 1 following a battle with cancer. He was 71. David will be remembered as a caring, funny, thoughtful man who was a loving and passionate husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, mentor and friend.

He was a pioneer and preeminent voice in corporate governance. Serving for nearly 20 years as the President and CEO of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals and as an appointee on various committees established by the SEC and NYSE.

Previously, David co-founded and served as President and Publisher of a magazine, General Counsel and Senior VP of Federated Linen and Uniform Service, as well as President & CEO of the Salon Division of Seligman & Latz. David was also Assistant General Counsel at DLJ. David also touched many lives through his commitment to community service. He was a public school teacher in the Bronx in the late 1960’s and for the rest of his life dedicated his energy and philanthropy to the support of underprivileged children and education. He was a volunteer, mentor, Trustee and the Board Secretary of Children's Village, which serves at risk youth and families in the New York Metropolitan area and a member of the Board of Education for the Greenburg NY 11 School District.

David was virtually inseparable from his beloved wife of 36-years, Cheryl. Together, they devoted much of their time to Saint James the Less Church in Scarsdale. Through the Church, David and Cheryl also led many missions to feed the homeless of New York City with Midnight Run. David's favorite role was as a doting husband, father, grandfather and uncle. For David family always came first, and he delighted in time spent on holidays, and at the family’s home in Chatham on Cape Cod, always surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

David Williamson Smith was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts in 1945 to Kenneth Howard Smith and Eleanor Grimes Smith and was raised in Yonkers, New York. His father was a high school English teacher in Mount Vernon and his mother was an administrative assistant for the Scarsdale Board of Education. Because of his mother's job David had the opportunity to attend Scarsdale High School, where he was Class President and graduated in 1963. David attended Amherst College in Massachusetts and earned his law degree from New York University Law School.

David is survived by his wife Cheryl, his children Dylan, Stephanie Treanor, Erich Stegich, Todd and Jenner, as well as grandchildren Max, Leo, Josh, Olivia, Lila, Sophie and Marin. David is also survived by his sister Sandra LeBeau and husband Martin and nieces Marcia and Deidre and nephew Jonathon.

David’s family and friends will celebrate his life at a funeral service on Friday, December 8 at 12:30pm at Saint James the Less Church in Scarsdale. In lieu of flowers, the family will be establishing a scholarship in David's name to contribute to the college tuition of a student of a Scarsdale school district employee. To donate see: gofundme.com/david-w-smithscholarship-fund.