Esquela David James Formanek

Forever in Our Hearts

Surrounded by family and love, we honor the life of

David James Formanek Son, brother, uncle

July 20th, 1979 – January 30th, 2026

From the time David was born, he had always wanted to be a teacher and own his own business. As a child, he would pretend that he was the principal of his own school and sit at his mother's desk shuffling paper around as if he was creating lesson plans or grading papers. He'd use monopoly money to pretend like he was cashiering and giving money back to his customers. As David grew into a young adult and entered high school, he entered the teaching and journalism programs and hosted his very own A.M. radio talk show. His dreams stopped when an Algebra II teacher failed him 2 weeks before graduation and he dropped out of high school. David eventually found the strength and perseverance to go back to school and earn his G.E.D. He got accepted into the Univeristy of Phoenix's online G.E.D. program and graduated in 2003. From there, he made it his mission to be the best he could be and he definitely did. He started working at Publix Supermarkets and quickly worked his way up to the management program, But God had other plans for him. He got a management position with Books A Million as an assisitant manager, and then a position with Michael's Craft Stores as a store manager. He was on the track to becoming a district manager, making 6 figures a year, when life redirected him and his desire to become a teacher weighed more than the money he was making. It was then that David's dreams finally became true. He dropped everything and went back to school to pursue a teaching degree. By the time his nieces KayLee and Evelyn were in elementary school, David started working as a substitute teacher and volunteered in programs like Sunshine Math and Junior Acheivement. He loved working with kids and allowed every student to call him what his nieces nicknamed him: Uncle Poopyhead! David was an absolute goofball and loved every minute of it. Eventually, David earned his Associate in Arts degree in general education and moved on to work on his Bachelor's degree at the University of Florida. He owned side businesses helping homeschool students and tutoring kids after school. Even though those businesses failed, he never let that falter his dreams. He quickly moved on and became a business teacher at Viera High School and taught there for about 11 years. For many years, he was in charge of the BETA team and the robotics team. He loved those kids and watched as each and every one of them passed through his program with determination and ambition to succeed. He never gave up on those kids and gave them his all until his diabetes took a final hit to his body. David had been fighting diabetes for most of his adult life, averaging a blood sugar level of 450 on a day to day basis. He fought diabetic ketoacidosis twice as a young adult, but the third time hit his heart hard and he suffered a massive heart attack a week after his mother died. Exactly two weeks after his mother's passing, David's heart gave out one last time. He went into cardiac arrest and died in the wee hours of the morning on January 16th, 2026. His students were devastated. His coworkers were devastated. His friends and family were in shock from the sudden and unexpected death. But his legacy moves on through his students and the memories he created with us all. And two people were blessed with the donation of his eyes, thanks to the Lions World Vision Institute. David never truly believed in God, but he definitely believed in serving others through teaching, mentoring, encouraging and inspiring. And he did just that.

A Celebration of Life will be held on October 3rd, 2026 at 10:30am at City Church, 344 Emerson Dr NW Palm Bay, FL 32907. Guests are invited to share memories and celebrate David's life.

In David James's honor, the family encourages friends to spend time with loved ones, share a meal, or help someone in need.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the staff of Holmes Regional Hospital for their compassionate care. A big thank you also goes out to the many people who contributed their time and resources in helping the family get through this difficult time.

Until we meet again.