S. David Brandt Obituary (2024) - Cherry Hill, New Jersey

S. David Brandt was born on October 8, 1934 to Abraham and Hattie Brandt and passed away in Naples, Florida on August 24, 2024, just six weeks before his 90th birthday. David lived a rich, full, wonderful life. With his sister Sophie, he grew up in Gloucester City and Camden, and throughout his long life maintained a fierce loyalty to both places. He never tired of telling and retelling stories about the family shoe store in Gloucester or the big house on Kaighn Avenue in Camden. He was such an outstanding student that he intentionally failed a class one semester in junior high simply for the fun of raising his grade from “F” to “A” the next. That’s when his parents decided he needed the tougher educational challenge of boarding school and sent him to the Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J. He went on to Princeton University, where he graduated with a degree in economics, and then earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He served in the Army during the Korean War. David launched his law career in Camden with his partner, Tom Farr. He was the senior partner of the highly respected law firm — Brandt, Haughey, Penberthy, Lewis & Hyland — headquartered in Haddonfield and later in its own building in Moorestown, for 40 years. For David, the firm’s success was measured not only in the expertise it brought to its clients, but also in the way everyone who worked there was treated. The five partners operated as professional colleagues and personal friends. They dined and traveled together and were a closely-knit group both in and out of the office. David tried many landmark cases, though he is best known for his ground-breaking success in the Mt. Laurel II case, which affirmed that municipalities in New Jersey use their zoning powers to provide for low and affordable housing, which at the time many towns did not want to integrate into their residential mix. Service was a cornerstone of David’s ethos. For three decades he served as a board member of the New Jersey State Board of Education, including four years as president. As board president, he worked with Leo Klagholz and Saul Cooperman to steer the adoption of the “alternate route,” which expanded certification opportunities for people to become public school teachers. During his tenure he was a strong advocate for sex education, long before it was a standard part of the curriculum. His guiding principle was the welfare of students. He liked to say, “If it’s not good for the kids, we’re not going to do it.” His civic interest led him to create, along with his friend Steve Shilling, an Atlantic League baseball team, the Camden Riversharks, to help revive his hometown. He donated generously to charities and volunteered for years at the Contact 609 crisis intervention hotline. To list all his professional and service accomplishments would fill this entire page. He met the love of his life, Patsy Auerbach, when her sister, Carol Saline, set them up on a blind date in 1964. They married a year later, moving to Cherry Hill where they raised three children — Allison, Andy, and Lauren — and lived until Patsy’s death in 2010. Patsy and David shared a love of travel and adventure that they passed on to their children, beginning in the summer of 1984 when the entire family embarked on a six-week excursion to Asia. Included in his major passions were the theater as well as the Philadelphia Eagles. David held season tickets to the Eagles for decades and spent every home-game Sunday cheering for the Birds from Section 641 at the Vet with his best friend Sid Granite and a revolving group of their kids. He would leave the house early on Sunday to load up on cheesesteaks and hoagies for a proper “pig out” at the stadium. Winning the Super Bowl in 2018 was especially sweet as Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles was a neighbor and had signed a football that the grandkids had left with a note and a pen on his lawn. For nearly 40 years, David began each weekend in the summer driving to the family’s lake house in Alloway, N.J. that they shared with their good friends, the Granites. Memories of wonderful times spent at the lake are legendary, particularly the “shower” story. David and Sid were both attorneys with zero experience as handymen but that didn’t stop them from attempting to install a shower together in a downstairs bathroom. After toiling for days on the job, the moment of truth was upon them. They stood in the shower bursting with pride. But when they turned on the faucet, water shot from every nook and cranny, flooding the entire bathroom. Sid screamed “turn it off!” but David was so paralyzed by laughter they just stood in the flood, roaring hysterically like two kids in front of an exploding fire hydrant on a hot day. People who knew David professionally generally remember his skill and smarts. But his friends and family remember his kindness, quirky habits, and sense of humor. These traits are reflected in his many nicknames. Almost no one in his inner circle called him by his given name. He was Toonzy or Toonz or Doodle or Felder or Uncle D or Uncle Honey and even Häagen Dav (for his insatiable love of ice cream). Toonz lived his life with zest and enthusiasm. He was a let’s-do-it-kind of guy. In addition to his family who he adored, he loved chicken, ice cream and popsicles, travel, cooking, football, books on etymology, the New York Times, a good debate. What he did not like was ketchup (except on scrapple), meanness, pets, and long gray winters, which is why he relocated to Florida ten years ago. One story sums up who David was. Growing up, one of the family’s favorite outings was driving to DiNardo’s restaurant in Delaware for a hardshell crab fest. At an early age, the kids were all taught how to properly open and clean crabs, but for young hands that could be tricky. The crown jewel of crabmeat is the backfin and it takes a steady hand to remove a perfect lump intact. All three children remember mangling many attempts to get a decent piece and, after suffering mightily, would often look up to see their dad delicately removing a perfect hunk of backfin, smiling, and handing it over. He always took great pleasure sharing the perfect bite! David is survived by three children: Allison (husband Mike Giesler), Andrew, and Lauren (husband Jonathan Schloss); four grandchildren: Colton, Macie, Greta, and Sam; his beloved nieces Susan Eiseman and Jill Bronson (husband Glenn), their children, Jonathan (wife Sophie) and Jennifer (husband Ryan), and their children; and his partner June. David left an indelible mark on the lives he touched and will be sorely missed. Graveside services will be held Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 10:30 am at Crescent Memorial Park (Sec. A) Pennsauken, NJ. Donations in David’s memory to support his love of theater and passion for providing educational opportunities can be made to Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts. https://www.usdan.org/support-us/support-us