Jonathan Russell Elam

Jonathan Russell Elam, beloved husband, father, and community member, passed away peacefully on November 19, 2025, at the age of 83 in Brentwood, California, just three weeks after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Jon was known to his family and community for his joyful, gregarious, creative spirit. He deeply loved and was so proud of his children, Rob and Kristin, and Julie, his wife of 58 years. He was passionate about his work to better his community and the world and always had time to mentor young people. He never met a community board he didn’t like. His days were long – from early breakfasts at his favorite local cafes, to meetings long into the night.

Jon grew up in South Pasadena, California, with his parents, Guy Russell and Elizabeth Marie Elam, and younger sister, Janice. He was a self-sufficient, curious explorer from the beginning, taking advantage of local opportunities, such as becoming a bat boy for the Dodgers when they moved to LA in 1958.

After graduating from South Pasadena High School in 1960, Jon attended Arizona State University, where he held leadership roles in student government and ATO fraternity. In 1963, he joined other students who were recruited to replace farmworkers after California’s Bracero Program ended. This was a pivotal decision in his life. Picking cantaloupes and living in farmworker housing opened his eyes to the realities of farm labor, and he soon joined VISTA, the new domestic anti-poverty initiative. He was assigned to Stockton, California, where he met Julie through their work on a tutoring project at a local school. They married on Feb 12, 1968.

Jon and Julie moved to Davis, where he served as Assistant Dean for Community Development, UC Extension and graduated from UC Davis. His children, Robert Russell and Kristin Marie, were born in Davis. The family subsequently moved to Minnesota. Jon became the first shared city manager for five small towns in SW Minnesota (Walnut Grove, Milroy, Lucan, Wabasso, Sanborn). In 1980, Jon was awarded a Bush Foundation Fellowship to attend Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, graduating with an MPA in 1981. This year of immersion with fellow students from around the world lead to lifelong professional and personal relationships.

Returning to Minnesota in the fall of 1981, Jon served as city manager of Mound and Maple Grove, as well as Director of Administration for the Metropolitan Council. In each of these positions his focus was always on the people and improving the community. He was happiest meeting with local residents, riding along with city work crews, or visiting local classrooms. He also returned to his roots as a cross-country runner, participating in local races even in the most frigid weather, as well as the Twin Cities and Grandma’s marathons.

He returned to California 1998 to become City Manager of Brentwood, served as Assistant Director of Public Works in Fresno (2002-2005), and as General Manager of the Tamalpais Community Services District from 2005 until his retirement in 2017. While at TCSD, Jon was appointed as a California Climate Registry Delegate to the United Nations Climate Change Conferences from 2006-2015. Jon enjoyed serving on boards of national and regional organizations, including Self-Help Housing, Rural America, the Minnesota League of Cities, and the Marin Conservation League.

He was currently on the board of La Clinica de la Raza, Harvard Kennedy School’s San Francisco Alumni Board, the Bond Oversight Committee for Contra Costa Community College District, and as Vice-President of the Brentwood Senior Citizens Club.

Jon’s post-retirement years were filled with international travel and long road trips, time with family and friends, and always a heavy dose of volunteer work in Brentwood. He was an election poll worker for over twenty years, a Meals on Wheels driver, a volunteer at the Brentwood Public Library, founding board member of ODAT (One Day at a Time), a member of the Brentwood Public School’s Bond Oversight Committee, the Brentwood Downtown Coalition, and the Brentwood Men’s Club.

In addition to his wife, Julie, Jon is survived by his daughter Kristin, son, Rob, and daughter-in-law Megan Ponder. Additional survivors include sister- and brother-in law, Liz and Jack Jue, brother-in-law, Ken Underhill, nephews Robert (Kelly) and Jordan Jue and Jace Proctor (Laura MacArthur), niece Leah Jue Cochran, and other extended family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may to made to La Clinica de la Raza https://laclinica.org/donate/ or Meals on Wheels Contra Costa https://mowcontracosta.org/donate/.

A celebration of Jon’s life will be held in early 2026. Please check back on Jon's memorial page in early January 2026 for the updated service information.