Rev. David T. Tyson, C.S.C.

REV. DAVID T. TYSON, C.S.C.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Rev. David Theodore Tyson, C.S.C., 78, died at Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Ind., on May 30, 2026, after a short illness.

Fr. Tyson was born in Gary, Ind., on April 7, 1948, to Theodore and Mary (Buettner) Tyson and was the youngest of three children. After graduating from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grade School and Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond, Ind., he entered the candidate program for Holy Cross at St. Joseph’s Hall, Notre Dame, Ind., in August of 1966. He entered Holy Cross Novitiate in Bennington, Vt., in 1967, and made First Vows a year later on July 7, 1968. Receiving his bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Notre Dame in 1970, he continued his studies at Notre Dame in theology and received his M.Th. degree in 1974, the same year he made Final Vows. Fr. Tyson spent his deacon year at Bourgade Catholic High School in Phoenix, Ariz., and assisted at St. Louis the King Parish in nearby Glendale. He was ordained a Holy Cross priest on April 5, 1975, in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Ind.

After ordination in 1975, Fr. Tyson assisted in the Office of Admissions at the University of Notre Dame for two years. From 1977-1980, he studied at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., earning a doctorate in higher education in 1980. From 1980-1982, he was Director of Sophomore Year of Studies at the College of Business at the University of Notre Dame before serving as an Executive Assistant to the President at the University of Notre Dame from 1982-1984. Beginning in 1984, he served as Vice President of Student Affairs at the University of Notre Dame for six years before being elected as the 18th President of the University of Portland in Portland, Ore., a position he held for thirteen years. In 2003 he was elected the Provincial Superior of what was then the Indiana Province of Holy Cross, where he oversaw the merger of the Southern Province and then the Eastern Province into what is now the United States Province. After finishing his time as Provincial in 2012, he took a sabbatical before serving as the Faculty/Director of Catholic Outreach Program at the Mendoza College of Business from 2013-2015. Beginning in 2015, he served as Director of Non-profit Development Programs at the Mendoza College of Business for two years. He was elected as President of Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Ind., where he served from 2017-2022. The following year, he assisted Holy Cross Family Ministries in North Easton, Mass., before residing at Corby Hall on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in 2024.

Among his many accolades, he was selected as one of America’s 50 outstanding college presidents (by the Templeton Foundation) and received an honorary doctorate of public service in 2002 from The University of Portland. Fr. Tyson also received the Christus Magister Medal, the University of Portland’s highest honor, in 2012. He also was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Notre Dame and the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal.

He served on a variety of different boards, including the Holy Cross College Board of Trustees, the University of Notre Dame Board of Fellows and Board of Trustees, and the Board of Visitors of Air University for the United States Airforce.

Preceding Fr. Tyson in death are his parents and sisters Elaine (Mel) Berlin and Sharon Van Kley. He is survived by beloved nieces and nephews.

A Wake Service will be held on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Moreau Seminary and Scholasticate, Notre Dame, Ind. A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. ET at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Ind. You may join via livestream at https://funerals.holycrossusa.org.

Burial will be in the community cemetery at Notre Dame.

Kaniewski Funeral Home, South Bend, is in charge of the arrangements.

Memorial contributions in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross can be made to: United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of
Advancement, P.O. Box 765, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0765 or online at https://donate.holycrossusa.org.

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