Obituaries

David L. Langston, Division of Human Resources

Note: The following email was sent to employees on July 25 by Caltrans’ acting director, Bob Franzoia.

It is with great sadness that I announce the loss of a Caltrans employee, David Langston. David was a valued and respected member in the Division of Human Resources’ Office of Transaction Services since 2012.

Those who knew David say that he was patient, understanding and compassionate. He had a sense of humor that put all at ease. David demonstrated great concern for his coworkers’ well-being and went the extra mile just to show how much he cared.

David became an outstanding mentor who gained respect and trust from his peers. He created cooperative work relations with long-lasting friendships that will never be forgotten.

David was also devoted to his faith and family. He is survived by his wife, Kim, son, Elijah (age 5), and daughter, Armani (age 4).

David started with Caltrans as a personnel specialist and continued his career in the Division of Human Resources as a trainer. David also participated in the Administration Program’s TEDD Talk event. His presentation on the “Power of Communication” can be viewed here: https://admin.onramp.dot.ca.gov/tedd-talks-2#overlay-context (starting at the 33:11 minute mark).

The California Transportation Foundation (CTF) has set up a Fallen Worker Memorial Fund in David’s honor. Donations to CTF are non-tax-deductible.

If you are interested in making a donation to help the family during this difficult time, you may do so using the following link: https://transportationfoundation.org/donate/. Please click on the “Donate Now” option and select “Langston Memorial Fund” from the drop-down menu (after entering your contact information).

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Brian Martin, senior structures engineer

Note: The following is based on information received from Kelly Manning, president of the Caltrans District 11 Quarter Century Club, and from Legacy.com.

Senior Structures Engineer Brian Martin died unexpectedly on Aug. 2 at his home.

He was 57.

Brian is survived by his wife, Debbie; three children, Daniel, Gracie and Kim; mother, Judith; and four siblings, Michael, Mark, Vernon and Cynthia. He was preceded in death by daughter Kaitlyn and his father, Charles Buster Martin.

“He loved camping, off-roading, fishing, and many other activities, and his dogs; Mattie, Mason and Jacob, who he took everywhere,” his Legacy.com obituary reports. “He was handy and able to fix almost everything. He built his own house and fixed his cars. He was on the ready to help anyone who needed his expertise.”

He had been with the Structures Department in San Diego since 1999 and worked on several high-profile projects that included the Interstate 5 Build North Coast Corridor, the Cabrillo and San Diego-Coronado bridges, and several interchanges along State Route125 from the South Bay to Santee.

“For those of you that had the privilege of working with Brian, you experienced just how wonderful and honest he was as a friend and co-worker,” Manning wrote.

“I had the opportunity to work with Brian on engineering projects at Caltrans,” Senior Transportation Engineer Lou Melendez wrote on Brian’s memorial webpage. “Brian did all he could to help resolve issues or problems and he went out of his way to get results quickly. He was a very smart bridge engineer. He received several awards for the projects he was involved in.”

Eric H. Sarkela, retired resident engineer in Construction

Note: The following information was provided by Kelly Manring, director of the District 11 Quarter Century Club.

Eric Harold Sarkela, a construction engineer who worked 38 years for Caltrans before retiring, died on Sept. 18 at his home in El Cajon.

He was 76.

Eric started his career at the Division of Highways in November 1964 as a construction field tester. In May 1970, he was promoted to Tech 1 and worked as a construction field plant inspector.

He began his journey to becoming a resident engineer in June 1972 when he became an assistant resident engineer. He was promoted to resident engineer in September 1983.

Some of the highlights of his career included the Balboa Avenue Sinkhole Emergency repair and the Star Acres Curve Realignment on State Route 94. He retired from Caltrans in December 2002, having had the distinction of performing every function on a Caltrans construction job site, including tester, inspector, assistant resident engineer and resident engineer.

After retirement, Eric worked as a subject matter expert for California State University, Sacramento. His areas of expertise were in earthwork, drainage, asphalt concrete and statewide CCO courses. Starting in 2008, he served as chairperson and member on many dispute resolution boards (DRBs).

Eric loved spending time with his children and grandchildren, who were his greatest source of solace after the death of his beloved wife, Pat, in 2015. After his retirement, Eric and Pat spent many happy years traveling around the country in their fifth-wheel trailer. They especially enjoyed their trips to Oregon, where Eric loved fishing and hunting with his relatives there.

Eric is survived by his daughter, Shannon Whipple, her husband, David, and their children, Ashley, Amanda and DJ; by his son, Tod, his wife, Stacy, and their sons, Gunnar and Asher; and by two siblings, his sister, Susie Ault, and his brother, Jon Sarkela.