David William Mercer

David William Mercer “Dave”, 71, sailed away peacefully in Palm Bay, Florida, on
August 7, 2025. He was one of six born to Richard and Dolores in Erie, PA, and moved
to Dunedin, FL during his high school years. Family, fishing, his golden retriever, Finn
, and sweet treats brought him the greatest joy.
As a young man, Dave worked with his dad and brother at Mercer and Sons, a pool
building company. This is also how he met his remarkable wife of 51 years, Debra
“Debbie”. They created a beautiful life together and raised two children, Jenny and
Kenneth.
Over the course of his career, Dave worked construction, was the Captain and owner of
two commercial fishing boats reeling in the best grouper and red snapper in the Gulf of
Mexico. He served as a Merchant Marine Tugboat Captain for Gulfcoast Transit, transporting coal from Louisiana for Tampa Electric Company. In addition, he captained
tugboats transporting grains to the impoverished in Africa, Central, and South America.
He later returned to his love of commercial fishing with his dear friend, and then retired in
The Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, where he loved to hunt and enjoy nature.
Dave will always be remembered for his selflessness, unparalleled work ethic, grit, and
deep love for his family. He was the epitome of “give the shirt off your back”. He would
drop everything to help; fly across the country or drive multiple hours to babysit, help
move, lay a floor, remodel a bathroom, dig a trench, or just repair a sprinkler. A true
blue, fix anything, build anything, be there for anyone kind, generous human being.
He is survived by his wife, Debra, daughter, Jenny (Pat), son, Kenneth (Sarah);
grandchildren, Brianna, William, Bailey, Mikaela, Andrew, and Bryce. Siblings, Denise,
Dennis, Debi, and Dawn. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister,
Dianne.
A private gathering to honor his memory will take place, services pending.

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