David William Florence Jr., age 92, of Rye, NY, passed away peacefully on February 13, 2023. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Scarsdale, NY, he attended Dartmouth College on an ROTC scholarship and served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Under the G.I. Bill he earned his MBA from Columbia University and began his career with IBM, later joining the Royal McBee Corp. He opened the New York office for National Business Lists and started List Management Inc. in 1967.
In 1969 Dave founded Direct Marketing Inc. (later Direct Media Inc.), which became an industry leader in list management brokerage and by 1971 launched the first public mailing-list database. In 1987 he received the Direct Marketing Club of New York Silver Apple Award and in 1993 he received the DMA List Leader of the Year. In October 2004, his career in the field was capped by induction in the DMA Hall of Fame.
Beyond his pioneering career and beloved family, Dave provided myriad opportunities for inner-city children as a trustee of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, and supported numerous local and national charities. He had a lifelong passion for Traditional New Orleans Jazz and was a founder of the Westchester-Fairfield Jazz Society. He was an equally zealous sports fan and lifelong athlete who spent his last day at home enjoying a Super Bowl he declared “the best ever.”
Dave is survived by Michelle, his loving wife of 65 years; his sister and brother-in-law Patricia and Daniel Flint; sons David III, Robert and John Mason; grandchildren David IV, Jennifer, Isabella, Robert and Lilly. A memorial service will be held March 4, 2023 at 11am at the Rye Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic.
