He was born in New Albany, Indiana on March 11, 1929. From 1950 until 1952, he attended college at St Meinrad. Although he intended to enter religious life, he was drafted into the army and spent two years in Korea. In 1954 he entered the clerical novitiate at Blue Cloud  a month after his brother, Br Martin, had professed temporary vows. Br David professed vows on September 8, 1955. In August of 1958, while still a professed Frater, he began another novitiate, this time as a Brother. He made perpetual vows a year later.

Not able to keep up with the pace of studies in the clericate, he had been assigned to St Michael's Mission in 1957, where he assisted Br Vital in the carpenter shop. Soon after his second novitiate and profession as a Brother, Br David returned to St Michael's and the carpenter shop. He also drove a school bus and taught for a short time in the school. The children were attracted to him and he enjoyed being with them.

Br David was easygoing and imperturbable. He was methodically slow in his performance of some things, but when he was in a hurry, it paid to get out of his way. During his second novitiate - -  the first in which Brother and Frater novices were together but separated from the rest of the community - - - Br David spent more time at recreation adjusting the high fidelity sound system he had built than playing records. When he got around to putting a record on the turntable, some novices left the recreation room. Not everyone shared his love for classical music played loudly.

Although Fr David was comfortable in a crowd and liked being with people, he was also a solitary who appreciated privacy for the pursuit of his various personal interests.

Br David was a docile and happy monk, a model of stability in this community from which he was called to eternal life at the early age of thirty-three.