CHILDHOOD
He was born September 18, 1960 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to the late Reverend William and Gladys Swift.
During his childhood years in Connecticut, David was educated in the Bridgeport and Ansonia school systems. It was there that he discovered his love of reading, and began forming the guiding principles of his life. As a child, David’s head was always in a book.
Raised in a strong faith-based environment, that foundation helped him endure the challenges faced in his lifetime, never allowing life’s curveballs to deter him from any goal. He was highly inquisitive at a young age, growing into a wise and conscientious adult, but his cousins recall he played around a lot too! So much so that a little jingle was written about him: “All you do is play, play, play, play all the time, will you please sit down… before I whoop you good”.
ADULTHOOD
David joined the United States Army immediately after high school where he served his country for 12 years as a Chaplain, as well as becoming fluent in Mandarin Chinese in the Army’s Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC).
It was in the Army where he honed his strong innate character and discipline, further developing the personality and strengths we all came to know and love about him. Having been stationed in Hawaii, Germany, Texas, California, and several other bases throughout his career, David retired from the Army to civilian life serving in his favorite capacity: as a Dad.