David, 75, died October 25, 1993, in Bend, Oregon. He was born October 31, 1917, in Pennsylvania. David went to Quaker schools outside of Philadelphia and graduated from Haverford College in 1940.

He was drafted into the Civilian Public Service in 1941 and was among the first of that group to report to Seeley Lake, Montana, for smokejumper training. David, Phil Stanley and Loren Zimmerman were the first CPS jumpers to make a fire jump on July 29, 1943. He was one of the few CPS jumpers to jump all three seasons (43-45) of the program.

David settled in Missoula upon his release and started a printing business. The Mountain Press Publishing Company became very successful and known worldwide. He is also one of the founders of the Snow Bowl Ski Area near Missoula. The U.S. National Downhill ski championships were held at the Snow Bowl in February 1967.