On March 10, 1938, David Lee Wiley was born to the late Novey Edward and Pearl Brown Wiley. He was the oldest of seven; his siblings being Beatrice "Beadom", Bernice, Esther, Charles, Otis, Novey "Wilbert" and Raymond. Beatrice, Bernice and Novey preceded him in death.

After graduating for Robert Russa Moton High School in 1957, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. After being discharged from the Air Force, he enlisted in the Army. Having served two tours during the Vietnam War, David dedicated a total of twenty years to the military. While in the United States Army, he received several medals and certificates of honor and achievement. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal by Direction of the President (1969), the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Achievement (1969), and the Advanced Technology 3000 Master Usage certification (1970) just to name a few. Sergeant First Class David L. Wiley was presented the Certificate of Retirement on October 1, 1977 and in recognition of services to the United States of America, he was given a Certificate of Appreciation in 2007.

After retirement from the U.S Army, he returned home to Farmville, Virginia. Since childhood, David was a member of Jericho Baptist Church, formerly Race Street Baptist Church. It was there that he was ordained as a Deacon. His favorite scripture was the 23rd Psalm. As he would study the Bible, he would package his inspirational thoughts and distribute them to local businesses. Some of the titles were: "Jesus Christ Is" The Perfect Example"; "Spirit of God rules this World"; "Separation, no Segregation"; "Our Standard-God (Spirit, Righteousness, Government, People)" and "Spirit of God is Law/Love".

He enjoyed jogging, walking with his U.S Flag and cycling through town. David was often asked why he carried a confederate flag at times. He would answer, "Jesus was a rebel". Given the name Captain Farmville by local college students, he was often seen on the corner proclaiming righteousness. David was a simple, quiet, and kind-hearted man. Whenever family visited, his famous words were "do you need anything?" or "you are good to me". When David Lee and his brothers would get together, they would sing "There is no need to cry" led by David. This was truly how he lived; knowing that he had accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and personal savior; knowing that he loved his family and friends and knowing that love was returned.