Lasting Memories

James David Eakin
Oct. 16, 1927-May 21, 2026
Portola Valley, California

Longtime San Mateo educator James David Eakin died Wednesday, May 21 surrounded by family. He was 98.

“Dave” Eakin, as he was known to friends and family, was born and raised in Oregon. After graduating from Albany High School in 1945, Dave served in the US Army in occupied Japan, a seminal experience in shaping his worldview. He came away with great admiration for Japanese people and culture.

The son of a newspaper editor, Dave was drawn to the study of language. He studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, France becoming fluent in French and steeped in the country’s history and culture, a passion he would share with his students, family, and friends for the remainder of his life.

At the Sorbonne, Dave met fellow Americans Mary and Richard Johnston. The three formed a fast friendship and in early summer of 1950 embarked on a 100-day bicycle tour through France, Spain, Italy and Austria on a budget of a $1 a day. Little did Dave know he was riding with the parents of his future son-in-law.

Dave went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in French Literature from the University of Oregon. While attending the university, Dave met Birte Brix-Kjelgaard. They married in 1952 weeks after their first date -- attending a whistlestop speech in Eugene (OR) by presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower. Dave and Brix moved to San Mateo in the mid 1950s.

He joined the faculty of Hillsdale High School in 1956 as a French teacher. Later Dave was one of the original faculty and head of the language department at San Mateo’s Aragon High School. For the 1963-64 academic year, Dave was granted a sabbatical. He and Brix took their three daughters, ranging in age from 2 to 8, on a yearlong camping trip through Europe in a VW Westphalia. The sabbatical included five months near Nice, where Dave attended classes at the University of Aix-Marseille.

When Cañada College opened in 1968, Dave was hired as one of the founding faculty, teaching French and Spanish. Students fondly remember his classes as being not just language, but a cultural experience.

For the 1969-1970 school year, Dave also served as director of the American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS) at the University of Grenoble in France. In addition, he directed an AIFS summer program at the University of Salamanca, Spain. Ventures on which he was accompanied by his wife and three daughters.

Dave, a longtime resident of Portola Valley, retired in 1993 to support Brix in her battle with breast cancer. Brix died in 1994. He returned to language instruction tutoring foreign tech workers in English.

In 1996, Dave married Ruth Sitton. He was fond of noting that when he married Ruth, he went from having three grandchildren to 23. The two traveled extensively in Europe, notably France and Spain.

Apart from travel, Dave’s passions included golf, cooking, gardening, Italian opera and discussing the finer points of grammar; the latter now fondly remembered by his three daughters and grandchildren. To posterity, he leaves a book, “Excerpts from Travel Abroad: Reflections from Afar,” recounting his and his family’s 1960s adventures living and traveling in Europe. The family’s search for grammatical errors has so far been in vain. A second book of travel photographs, “Travel Abroad,” was produced in 2025.

Throughout his more than 40-year teaching career and in retirement, Dave remained a staunch advocate for the teaching profession, public education and expanded educational opportunities.

Dave Eakin is survived by his wife, Ruth Sitton; brother Wallace Eakin of Hood River, Oregon; three daughters, Erika Eakin Johnston (Don) of San Rafael, Elena Cahalan of Los Angeles and Kaia Eakin (Bryan Beck) of Redwood City; three grandchildren; three great grandchildren; six stepchildren and their families; and many admiring nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Brix Eakin; sister Patricia Eakin; and brother Stewart Eakin.

A celebration of Dave’s life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 at the San Mateo County History Museum in Redwood City. To RSVP or for additional information, contact Don Johnston at: don.b.johnston@gmail.com

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dave’s memory to a favorite charity or non-profit.