By Andrew Hackmack
Melissa Scherr, 25, died last Saturday morning in Suffolk County when her car was hit by an alleged drunk driver. Douglas Davis, 44, of Centerport, who was driving a GMC pickup truck, struck Scherr's Nissan 200SX from behind on Route 110 in Melville, according to police.
The Scherr family moved to Valley Stream in 2001 from Ozone Park, Queens. Melissa graduated that year from Stella Maris High School in Far Rockaway. She attended SUNY-New Paltz for two years before finishing her college education at Adelphi, earning a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2005.
Scherr was working as a manager at Midnight Snacks in Mineola. She worked in customer service before being promoted, her sister said. She was recently given a flat-screen television as a reward for her good work. "She had close friends there," Jennifer said.
Her sister loved to travel, she said, and in the past year she had taken a Caribbean cruise and a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Jennifer said that she and her sister could talk about anything, and would always sound off on each other for advice. "She always wanted to just spend time with me," Jennifer said of Melissa. "She was a very affectionate person."
Melissa was planning to marry her boyfriend, Vito Campanelli of Kings Park, Jennifer said, though the two were not yet officially engaged. According to Jennifer, they were saving up for their wedding.
"They loved each other - they were supposed to get married," said Rose Scherr, Melissa and Jennifer's mother. "I should be shopping with my daughter for a wedding dress."
Rose described Melissa as someone who would do anything for anyone. "She always wanted to make everybody happy," Rose said.
Family members expressed their outrage that Davis was not only allegedly drunk, but that, according to police, he fled the scene after the accident and was arrested a short time later in Greenlawn. They were also upset to learning that he had made bail.
"I just don't understand how he could leave her," Rose said.
Davis was arraigned last Sunday and charged with driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident without reporting. He pleaded not guilty to both charges, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.
Melissa and Jennifer's father, Michael, said he would push for the charges against Davis to be upgraded to vehicular manslaughter.
Michael said that Melissa was wonderful girl who loved her family and her boyfriend very much. "She was looking forward to a bright future," he said. "It's just not there. Her life was taken at such a young age, needlessly."
"She was such a good person - she was sweet to everyone," said her sister. "Everyone loved her."
Scherr's funeral service was scheduled for Thursday at 10:15 a.m. at St. Mary's Gate of Heaven Church, on the corner of 101st Avenue and 103rd Street in Ozone Park, Queens. She was to be buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens.
Comments about this story? AHackmack@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
