William “Bill” Francis Denevan, 91, passed away peacefully on August 13, 2022 in Danville, California.

Bill was born 4 October 1930 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and was the eldest of four nearly perfect children born to Frank and Connie Denevan. He graduated from the University of Washington with a language degree and attended college in Mexico and France. Bill served in the Air Force and was stationed in Denver and Nampa, Idaho. His early years were spent in South Dakota and Washington, and adulthood in Washington and California. He raised his children from three marriages in San Jose, Fremont and Santa Cruz.

After graduating from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Education, he started his lifelong career in education. Beginning as a high school English teacher (he quickly switched to Spanish, French, and German) in several different schools around Washington. He realized his passion for teaching and held multiple roles in each of the schools where he taught. After moving to the San Jose area in 1962, he taught at Blackford High School and then for many years at Westmont High School. His abiding love of teaching and learning never faded and he never stopped being a student himself; truly a life-long learner. Following his “retirement” from public education, he continued to work as an Associate Professor for the student teacher graduate program at Stanford University.

Bill sought out opportunities to be involved in his community, including the Santa Cruz Sister Cities Program, Meals-on-wheels, and as an interpreter for disaster relief programs. Bill dedicated his life to the communities of San Jose and Santa Cruz, educating and inspiring countless students to pursue their dreams. Many have cited Bill as their inspiration for pursuing a career in education or education-adjacent careers.

Bill was an avid outdoorsman, climbing all the major peaks of the Cascade Range, hiking and back packing much of the Sierra Nevada, Cascade, and Olympic Ranges. He was also a runner, kayaker, skier and more. He was a “travel junkie” and loved being able to experience new places, visit old favorites, and using or adding to his formidable abilities in nine languages. As with all of his passions, he most enjoyed sharing these adventures with family and friends. It is part of his lasting legacy to have passed on these passions and love of life to his children and grandchildren

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