Lady of America Founder Said He Was Drinking on Day of Deadly Crash

Lady of America….An online fundraiser launched in memory of Gerald Smith, the Boynton Beach man killed in a crash Wednesday in Delray Beach, has topped $4,000 in its first 24 hours.

Smith, 82, was attempting to drive across northbound Federal Highway at Northeast First Street when a Lamborghini driven by 60-year-old Roger Wittenberns slammed into the driver’s side of Smith’s Buick SUV.

Wittenberns, who founded the Lady of America chain of health clubs, and his girlfriend, 61-year-old Patty Ann McQuiggin, both of Delray Beach, were speeding side-by-side on Federal Highway before the crash, witnesses told investigators.

McQuiggin, whose Porsche was not involved in the crash, parked her car near the intersection and left the scene, police said.

Wittenberns later told Delray Beach police that he and McQuiggin had been drinking that afternoon.

Smith’s family confirmed Saturday that personal-injury law firm Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley has been hired to represent Smith’s wife, Eloise.

Tracy Lyn Fazio, Eloise Smith’s daughter-in-law, launched a GoFundMe page Friday to help cover the cost of Gerald Smith’s funeral expenses.

The page had raised $4,261 of its $10,000 goal as of Saturday evening. Several people donated more than $100, with many sharing their condolences.

On the page, Smith’s family said that as an Uber driver, “He enjoyed meeting and speaking to people, and telling his wonderful stories about events in his life or people that he met.”

The page also notes that Smith was his wife’s “life line and financial supporter,” because she is not able to work.

“We are beyond grateful to everybody!” Fazio said in an email to The Palm Beach Post. “Through darkness comes light.”