David C. Besser, of Washington Heights, New York City died too soon on November 30, 2021 at the age of 60. He is survived by his father, Gilbert M. Besser (who shares his birthday) (Eleanore, deceased), sister Janet Gail Besser (Daniel Seibert), brother Marcus P. Besser (Amy), and his beloved nieces and nephews Rachael Besser (Rafi Spitzer), Joseph Besser (Bailey), Aaron Besser, Raymond Seibert and Pauline Seibert, and great niece and nephew Ellie and Jonah Spitzer. David loved his family and all things about the theater.
David was born in Philadelphia, PA, attended Haverford High School, where he launched his theater career onstage as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest, before taking his talents backstage. He graduated from Temple University and worked at John Wanamaker's in Men's Furnishings before moving to southern California in the 1980s. In the 1990s, he left retail to follow his passion back to the theater, moving north where he became the dresser for the Phantom in the San Francisco production of Phantom of the Opera, followed by work on many other shows. He was active in his union in California, serving as business manager for a number of years. In 2012, he made the move back to the east coast to be near family, working on Broadway, for the last several years on Wicked. He continued to be active in the theater workers union, IATSE.
David was of the generation of young men at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic and became a champion for AIDS and other organizations related to the arts. Donations in his memory can be made to the Actors Fund (https://actorsfund.org/), a national human services organization with a unique understanding of the challenges involved in life in the entertainment industry.
Relatives and friends are invited to graveside services, Friday, 12:30pm at Roosevelt Memorial Park, Trevose, PA. Memorial services will immediately follow at Joseph Levine & Sons Memorial Chapel, 4737 Street Rd., Trevose, PA, at 1:30pm. Chapel services may also be viewed virtually at (www.levinefuneral.com/funeral-webcam.html).
Shiva will be observed at the home of his father, Gilbert Besser.
Arrangements by Joseph Levine & Sons (www.levinefuneral.com)
