As a young man, Father David attended college at Baylor University. After earning a B.A. in Business, he served in the US Army, spending two years in Germany.
He came home and worked in accounting as a CPA. Moving to Dallas, he later entered the seminary. After concluding his studies, Father David was ordained a priest for the Catholic Diocese of Dallas on May 24, 1986 at All Saints Catholic Church by Bishop Thomas Tschoepe. Father David’s first assignment was as Parochial Vicar at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Richardson from June 1986 to July 1989. He was transferred to St. Philip the Apostle Church in Dallas as Parochial Vicar. Becoming Pastor in 1990, he remained at St. Philip until June 1997. Father David then returned to St. Paul the Apostle in Richardson in July of 1997 where he faithfully served as the Pastor, until his retirement on June 30, 2017.
Father David was devoted to his church and considered all of the church his family. A kind and generous man, he always has a twinkle in his eye. He found humor in simple things and never quite embraced technology in our world. He would tell his parish staff that "emails are a passing phase" and "texting was bad for your health!” He believed a phone was just a phone and for him there was not anything that could replace a personal call to someone and that if you needed to write someone, put it in the mail with a stamp.
He loved going places and traveling with family and parish members and generously made time for frequent trips to the zoo, soccer games, dance recitals, family dinners, birthdays. Father David thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors and hunted whenever he could. His hobbies also included building model airplanes, watching and going to baseball games, and taking walks.
While it is impossible to capture all the wonderful qualities of this kind and gentle soul, we will all agree that he will be greatly missed and that he touched so many lives.
He is survived by his sister-in-law Pat Flori, his nieces and their spouses Karen and Aaron Logan, Lisa and Patrick Nicholson, Nancy Acree, Celeste and Joe Schafer, Barbara Hanby, Christine Michael, Pam Alford; nephews and spouses Willie and Talara Flori, David and Sylvia Flori, Bill Michael, Tim Michael and numerous great nieces and nephews. His extended family included his 28 year friend and co-worker, Kathy Kelley; husband George Kelley, her daughter and spouse Melissa and Clem Giles and their children. He was preceded in death by his five siblings, Agnes Michael, Teresa Painter, Charles Flori, Sister Dorothy Ann Flori, and Leonard Flori.
Father David will lie in state at Sparkman Funeral Home, located at 1029 South Greenville Avenue Richardson, Texas on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m on both days.
Father David's casket will be received at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church 720 South Floyd Road, Richardson, Texas on Monday April 22nd at 5:00 p.m. The Funeral Vigil will follow in the church that same evening at 7:00 p.m.
The Most Reverend Edward J. Burns will celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, April 23 at 2:00 p.m. The Most Reverend Gregory Kelly, the Most Reverend Robert M. Coerver, and the Reverend John Szatkowski, principal concelebrants, will be joined by Father David's brother priests.
A reception will immediately follow the Mass of Christian Burial in the parish center at St. Paul.
Interment will be on Wednesday, April 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the Priests Circle in Calvary Hill Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.
Father David and his family have desired that memorial donations in his honor be made to
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church for renovations to the convent and construction of a prayer garden. Inquiries may be directed to [email protected].
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