David Michael McGrew

1958 - 2018

David Michael McGrew

Copley, OH

David Michael McGrew, age 59, passed away on May 31, 2018 in Copley, Ohio. McGrew who grew up in Raleigh, NC loved his children, his work, travel and his multitude of great friends around the country. He will be buried in the Family Gravesite at Historic Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, NC.

McGrew spent the last seven years with tremendous joy taking his Special Needs Daughter, Shannon McGrew, on trips to Clemson, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, South Bend, Miami, Philadelphia, Orlando, Columbia, Tupelo, Memphis, Nashville, and many points in-between including Atlanta, Athens and Black Bear Mtn. in Georgia. Shannon charmed everyone she met and was thrilled by every new adventure. Shannon is truly her Dad's Fearless Tough Girl.

Back when Mr. McGrew attended St. Sebastian Church, he was a member of Parish Council and coached the teams his son, Alex McGrew, played for in soccer, football, basketball, and baseball. Early on, Alex's golf skills far surpassed his Father who watched with great pride. The pair traveled to college events including Clemson bowl games, NCAA Tournaments, SEC Football Championships and SEC Basketball Tournaments, plus football and basketball games at Notre Dame, Georgia, and Ohio State. Alex was a Dean's List Student at both John Carroll University and the University of Akron and is an accountant for Cohen & Co. in Cleveland.

Over his lifetime, Mr. McGrew traveled to Denmark, Ulster Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Sweden, Amsterdam, Normandy, Mexico, and the Island of Rhodes in Greece, plus 44 out of the 50 US states.

David McGrew was born on October 3, 1958 in Columbia, SC. He grew up in the Cameron Park neighborhood in Raleigh, NC and was a 1976 graduate of Ravenscroft School. At Clemson University, McGrew played on three NCAA Final Four and four ACC Championship soccer teams, was three-time Academic All-ACC, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, Mortar Board National Honor Society, and worked in the Clemson Sports Information Office before graduating in 1981 with a Political Science degree.

From 1981 to 1984, McGrew was the Assistant Sports Information Director at the University of Georgia. He worked with 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker plus NBA Legend Dominique Wilkins. While McGrew was in Athens, Georgia went to the 1983 NCAA Final Four, 1982 NIT Final Four, won two SEC football championships, the 1983 SEC Basketball Championship and played in two Sugar Bowls and the Cotton Bowl.

For 12 years, McGrew worked for sports marketing giant Host Communications in Lexington, KY and rose to President of the Midwest Division in Chicago. McGrew sold corporate sponsorships for the NCAA Final Four, the BCS, SEC, Big Ten, Historically Black Colleges and over 20 Universities including Notre Dame, Alabama, Texas, LSU and Florida State. Working for HCI, McGrew lived in Lexington, Dallas, Birmingham, Pittsburgh and Chicago.

For 21 years McGrew was with MCS Marketing and Learfield. McGrew was President of MCS for 18 years. The company relocated from Chicago to Akron, Ohio. He worked as a marketing consultant and in corporate sales with clients including the United States Army 2nd Brigade, the Office of Illinois Attorney General, the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio Lottery, plus Alumni Associations at the Universities of Florida, Florida State, Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Colorado.

Mr. McGrew was preceded in death by Mother, Ellen Jorgine Zukunft McGrew, a native of Portland, ME, in 2008; Father, Charles W. McGrew III, a native of Sumter, SC in 2016 who was an editor for the Raleigh News & Observer for nearly 30 years; and Godmother Leila A. Child of Columbia, SC in 2009; Grandparents Charles W. and Anita (DeBerry) McGrew of Holly Hill, FL and Johannes and Helen (McCann) Zukunft of Portland, ME.

Mr. McGrew is survived by his son, Alexander McGrew (24) of Cleveland, OH; and daughter Shannon McGrew (22) of Akron, OH; brother and sister-in-law Charles W. McGrew IV and Kris McGrew of Forks Township, PA; Aunts and Uncles including Jim and Mary Alyce McGrew of Ormond Beach, FL and Terry and Virginia McGrew plus Steve and Nada McGrew of Melbourne, FL; and countless Cousins including Vern and Pat Peterson of Hattiesburg, MS and Vernon McGrew in Raleigh, NC and a lifetime of great friends across America.

The Family of David McGrew requests that donations be made in the memory of David McGrew to the Special Needs Program at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, OH.

Brown-Wynne Funeral Home on St. Mary's Street in Raleigh is entrusted with funeral arrangements.