Baseball, golf, tennis and handball were a big part of David Wexler's life until he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Undeterred, he refused to be sidelined by the disease, in which the body's immune system eats away at the protective sheath that covers the nerves and interferes with the brain's ability to communicate with other parts of the body.
With great fervor, he poured his heart into bringing hope to others with the disease, serving as a support group leader with the Minnesota chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and becoming a champion fundraiser, a feat that in 2005 landed him in the society's Fundraising Hall of Fame.
"He made lemonade out of the lemons he was given," said his wife, Jaclyn. "He encouraged a lot of people."
Wexler, 55, died of acute promyelocytic leukemia April 6 at his home in Minnetonka.
Wexler was an outspoken advocate for people with disabilities. He once investigated and found that some metro area taxi companies charged higher fares for passengers who used wheelchairs or scooters. He filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, which led to taxi companies having to charge the same rates for those needing accessible cabs, said Maureen Reeder, president of the National MS Society's Minnesota chapter.
Wexler, a lawyer who specialized in accident and personal injury cases, "had a passion for helping the masses and changing lives for lots of people," his wife said. When he was stricken with MS in 1996, he joined the local MS chapter and served as a group leader for six years. In that role he encouraged others to see that life with MS can be fulfilling. As a board member, Wexler participated in activities such as the MS Walk and raised money that went to research on possible cures for the disease. In his lifetime, his combined fundraising and personal donations to the National MS Society totaled more than $550,000, said Emily Wilson, marketing coordinator for the Minnesota chapter.
He was deeply involved in the MS Genome Project, a study that identified three genes involved in MS, Jaclyn said.
Wexler, an "innovative man who liked to tinker," was constantly creating devices to make the lives of those with MS better, his wife said.
"In the face of this unpredictable and debilitating disease, David found purpose and resolve," Reeder said. "With every obstacle, he sought opportunity, never backing down from a chance to make a difference."
Even while in his wheelchair, Wexler coached the baseball teams of his sons, Ross and Nathan. He also was part of the Hennepin County guardian ad litem program, in which an objective adult presents information about the best interests of the child in cases when the court is making decisions that will affect a child's future, Jaclyn said.
In addition to his wife and two sons, Wexler is survived by his mother, Muriel, of Golden Valley; two sisters, Deborah Mann of St. Paul and Elizabeth Wexler of Minnetonka; a brother, Steven, of Minneapolis; two stepsons, Chris Bloom and Charley Simons of Casper, Wyo.; a stepdaughter, Dana Mekler of the Twin Cities, and a grandchild. Services have been held.
