David Charles Herring was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1953. His father, James Cleveland Herring, was the military attaché to the American Embassy in Madrid, and his mother was Lillian Shirley Baker Herring. Both of his parents served during World War II. His father was a major in the United States Army, and his mother served as a surgical nurse with the Army Nurse Corps in Egypt.

After leaving Madrid, the family settled in Huntsville, Alabama. David graduated from Lee High School and continued his education at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he studied accounting and computer science during the keypunch era. In 1997, he earned his master’s degree in vocational education from Alabama A&M University. During his career, he worked at Chrysler, Pentastar, and PEI Electronics.

David had a lifelong sense of adventure and pursued a wide range of interests. He participated in motorsports with the Twickenham Auto Club and the Vintage Automobile Racing Association and enjoyed sailing, photography, and woodworking. He especially loved traveling with his family, including summer road trips in their Winnebago that carried them through all 48 contiguous states and to many of America’s national parks.

David greatly enjoyed coaching his children’s baseball and softball teams when they were young. He was also an early member of Good Shepherd Methodist Church in Harvest, Alabama.

David is survived by his daughter, Katherine Reichert (Yoji); his son, Paul Herring (Kristie); his grandchildren, Charlize, Parker, Arden, Rex; his sister, Amy Herring (Bryan Jones), and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Jim and John Herring, and sister Suzanne Hutto.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Mary Starke Harper Geriatric Psychiatry Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in gratitude for the tenderness and compassionate care David received during the final years of his life.

A 4:00 pm graveside service will be held per David's wishes on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at Gurley City Cemetery in Gurley, Alabama.

Berryhill Funeral Home is assisting the family.