David was the son of Solomon and Ruth Willis.  He was born in Sidney, Nebraska on March 4, 1931.  David graduated from Sidney High School.  He worked at several trade occupations from the time he was 13, and after high school was working in the oil fields when the Korean War broke out in 1950.  He enlisted and spent four years in the USAF in the Strategic Air Command.  He was discharged in 1954 and spent some time working for Boeing AIrplane Company in Moses Lake, Washington.  He returned to Sidney in 1955 where he supervised the construction fo the Sidney Cable Television system. 

In 1958, David married Phyllis Hartzler, daughter of Raymond and Helen Hartzler.  They had three children:  Kelly, Randy, and Todd.  They were born in 1960, 1963, and 1966, respectively.

In 1969, the family moved to Denver, Colorado where he joined the corporate staff of Telecommunications, Inc.  At TCI in 1971, David was named Director of Engineering, a position he held for the next 21 years.  During these years, the company grew from a count of 250,000 subscribers to over 13,000,000.  David was active in the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engieers and just prior to his retirement, he was named to the SCTE Hall of Fame.  David retired in 1992 and was considered a true pioneer of the telecommunciations industry. 

David is survived by his wife, Phyllis, his daughter Kelly and her husband Bret Lopeman of Boise, Idaho; his son Randy and his wife Gillian of Park, Colorado; and his son Todd and his wife Anna of Olympia, Washington.  He has six wonderful grandchildren, Krystina, Tony, Alex, Lark, Tyler, and Keira, who all miss him dearly.  He is also survived by his loyal companion, Aspen.

David was a devoted husband, a loving father, and an adoring grandfather.  He was a tremendous friend and a man that everyone knew they could count on.  His constant humor and presence was that of a man who loved life.  Besides his family, David's passions included fishing, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and his golden retriever, Aspen (not necessarily in that order).  David had recently been searching for a church home and found it at The Church at Parker.  He constantly shared how encouraged he was by the messages he heard and the warmth of the fellowship.