Damien and Catherine Morris Johnson welcomed the birth of Rose Elizabeth into their family at St. Lawrence, Kentucky, on December 2, 1926. She attended the public schools of Daviess County and spent a year at Nazareth Academy in Nazareth, Kentucky, near Bardstown. Rose entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph on August 14, 1951 and became Sister David Marie.
Sister David Marie began her apostolate of domestic service at Sacred Heart Academy in Waterflow, New Mexico, where she was associated with Sister Mary Laura Henning for three years. She was then assigned to Mount Saint Joseph to assist Sister Joseph Cecelia Muller in the infirmary. Sister David Marie prepared herself for this apostolate by becoming a licensed practical nurse. She remained on the infirmary staff for the last 21 years of her life.
On March 26, 1977, Sister David Marie and five other members of the Health Care staff attended an all‑day seminar in Louisville on health care of the elderly and the dying. On their way home, the Sisters pulled into an emergency lane on Interstate 64, some distance from New Albany, Indiana, to have their ‘brown bag’ supper. Sisters David Marie, Mary Laura Henning, and Sheila Anne Smith left the car to get the food basket from the trunk. A car struck them, which resulted in instant death for Sister David Marie and Sister Mary Laura Henning.
With Bishop Henry J. Soenneker presiding, Father Anthony Ziegler, chaplain, and 27 other priests concelebrated the funeral Mass on March 29, 1977. Since it was a double funeral, the chapel was filled to overflowing with Sister’s large family, personal friends, members of the Sisters of Charity and friends of the Ursuline community. Because of the huge crowd in attendance for the ceremonies, the Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph were asked to remain in the chapel praying the rosary during the procession to the convent cemetery, where Sister David Marie and Sister Mary Laura Henning are buried side by side.
Among her survivors were her four sisters, Sister Rose Theresa, OSU, Sister Rose Karen, OSU, Sister Joseph Damien, SCN, and Sister Catherine, SCN.