R.I.P. David Lerner

Sure, Tekserve founder David Lerner could be difficult, but he was also the consummate mensch

By Jon Kalish December 1, 2025

David Lerner was a difficult mensch.

Lerner passed away on Nov. 12 at the age of 72 and in the days that followed some who were close to the man recounted his kindnesses but they also used the word “difficult” to describe him.

“He was a difficult man but he was still my guy,” his wife Lorren Erstad told me.

Read my full appreciation of David Lerner in The Forward:

https://forward.com/culture/786664/how-a-troublemaking-private-school-dropout-became-the-johnny-appleseed-of-tech/