David Birch Eakin

David Birch Eakin, of Vienna, Virginia, passed away at home of Parkinson’s disease on Sunday, April 6, 2025, just five days before his 78th birthday. David was born on April 11, 1947 in Washington, DC to Birch Hitt Eakin and Nora Rachel Taylor Eakin. His family later moved to Silver Spring, MD where his parents built a home and raised their three boys. He graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland College Park and passed the Professional Engineering exam.

Following his father and grandfather (both engineers for the Federal Government) he took a job as an intern in the Department of General Services Administration’s division of Public Buildings Service (PBS), which manages nearly all Federal Government real estate design and construction. Serving for 37 years, he rose through the ranks until he was promoted to be PBS’s Chief Engineer. In that role he oversaw technical engineering and construction standards, construction cost estimating, and was the professional liaison between code and technical standards such as National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institute of Building Sciences, National Academy of Science, the Administrative Office of the Federal Courts, and other organizations. David was instrumental in supporting the Whole Building Design Guide at its inception.

After retirement from PBS, he became the Vice President of Marketing at Setty & Associates, LTD. In this role he managed the engineering team and wrote and edited comprehensive technical
strategies for energy reduction for the National Gallery of Art and the Central Intelligence Agency. Both organizations embraced the reports and have implemented the guidance in their facilities.

David was an active and proud member of the Rotary Club of Dunn-Loring Merrifield, VA, serving
as president three times. He was always finding ways to help others even outside of Rotary, and contributed generously of his time and resources, including endowing a perpetual scholarship for students in the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland College Park.

To David, family was everything. He loved his wife, children, doted on his grandson, his brothers and sisters-in-law, and his and his wife’s nieces and nephews. Pulling children around on the “magic carpet (bathmat) or getting the “tickle bug” evoked shrieks of glee. He was an accomplished cook: his brownies were not to be forgotten, and his Steak Diane was extravagant.

In addition to Renée Tietjen, his wife of twenty-seven years, his daughter Katharine Eakin (Neil Jolley), his son John Hitt Eakin (Jenna Arnold), and his grandson, Korben, he is also survived by his twin brother George (Nghi Lam), nephew Andrew Eakin, and brother James Eakin (Ruth Ann), niece Jamie Eakin, and nephew Bryce Eakin.

A memorial service (with a live stream video link) will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2025 at
the Money & King Funeral Home in Vienna, VA at 10:00 AM. Visitors will be received at 9:30 AM