Daniel "DW" Crosby

Daniel Wechsler Crosby

Daniel Wechsler Crosby was born on February 28, 1947, in Berkeley, California to Rhoda Florence Wechsler and William Shaw Crosby. He passed away on September 2, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah at the age of 79. He was not raised by his parents and had a difficult childhood.

When D.W. was 7 years old, the gospel came into his life when LDS missionaries knocked on the front door of his home in Englewood, California. “They explained that we have a Heavenly Father and that our goal and purpose of coming to earth was to learn to become like him.” He accepted that as fact and vowed in his heart that no other purpose or goal mattered.

At the age of 16 he and his sister, Margaret, moved from California to Michigan to live with their aunt and uncle. As a young man he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Santiago, Chile, where he mastered the Spanish language. His faith remained an important part of his life throughout the years. He graduated from The University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in History.

D.W. was intelligent, entrepreneurial, and a natural salesman. He could strike up a conversation with almost anyone and was rarely short of an idea, a story, or a new possibility to consider. He had a lifelong interest in natural health and herbs and, during his younger years, worked for a publishing company selling books on those subjects. He also cared deeply about his country and the freedoms he valued, becoming involved enough in public life to run for legislative office. He loved music, appreciated the artists who created it, enjoyed a good pun, and possessed a personality that was unmistakably his own. Those who knew him well knew that life with D.W. was always an adventure.

D.W. married Lindsay Scurr on May 29, 1976. He adopted Lindsay's daughter, Zana, and together they welcomed four daughters: Arwen, Vanessa, Rachel, and Faith. Although D.W. and Lindsay later divorced, the family they created together remained an important part of his life and legacy.

On April 7, 1987, D.W. married Carolin Benson in the Jordan River Utah Temple. They first made their home in Sugarhouse and later settled in Holladay, Utah, where they spent more than three decades together. Their marriage marked a new chapter for D.W. and his daughters, as Carolin became an important part of their family and helped create a home in which D.W. could become more actively involved in raising his girls. Miraculously, much later in their marriage they welcomed their two sons, Daniel and Samuel, who have been a blessing in their later years. His family grew through the years to include sons-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, leaving a legacy that extends far beyond the years of his own life.

D.W. Crosby is survived by his sister, Margaret Judith (Tom) Campbell, his wife, Carolin Benson Crosby; his children, Zana Jo (Ryan) Kartchner, Arwen Brook Crosby, Vanessa Lavey Crosby, Rachel Mary (Eric) Roberts, Faith Elizabeth Bean, Daniel Wechsler Crosby, and Samuel Benson Crosby; and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who will carry forward their own memories, stories, and pieces of him. He is also survived by brothers- and sisters-in-law and many nieces and nephews. There is comfort in the knowledge that death is not the end, that family relationships reach beyond mortality, and that separation is only for a time.

Until we meet again.

All services will be held at 4601 S Chapel Dr, Holladay UT 84117.
Thursday, September 10, Viewing from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Friday, September 11, Viewing from 10:00 am – 10:45 am, Funeral from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm