Linda Biewer-Elstob

Linda Biewer-Elstob, beloved to generations of students as Ms. B.E., passed away on July 9, 2025, at home, surrounded by the love of her husband of 42 years, Kevin. She was born on May 17, 1959 in Dampierre-sur-Blevy, France to Laure and Dennis Biewer. Linda's memory will be forever treasured by all who knew her as a cherished wife, mother, teacher, and mentor.

Linda left a lasting impression on everyone she met; her brilliance, dedication, warmth, and love touched countless lives. Her warm spirit and steadfast commitment touched many through her teaching and genuine enthusiasm for learning, both inside and outside the classroom. She was always known to have a book - most often a picture book - somewhere nearby, usually for a new project that she was working on.

Beyond her professional life, Linda loved to travel—especially in France to visit family, reconnect with friends, and discover hidden gems off the beaten track. Exploring wineries along California’s backroads was another of her loves. She also liked driving down to North Hollywood to spend time with her son Julien and his wife, Gilly.

Linda was a devoted educator and a respected presence in the Davis teaching community since 2000, when she began teaching at Patwin Elementary. Before joining Patwin, she taught at Dry Creek Elementary in Rio Linda and at Lewis Sands Elementary in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Her career as a classroom teacher spanned more than 35 years and led to many projects and programs that continue to have a legacy with students, colleagues and local community groups. She was an active Teacher Consultant/Leader in the Writing Project, History Project, Math Project, and Global Education Project. She also mentored many student-teachers and first and second-year teachers just setting out on their careers.

Her reach extended beyond the classroom; she always wanted to connect students with the world around them. For example, she led a student's overnight stay on Angel Island and spent one week every December at Outdoor Education. She had a strong commitment to children learning about the whole world and was very passionate about connecting teachers and students to their local community. Most recently, Linda was an important part of the team who worked with the Tending and Gathering Garden Committee of the Cache Creek Conservancy that was funded by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. In the summer of 2024, she was a leader for the Teacher Institute “Stewardship of the Wintun and Patwin Homelands” that focused on the history, culture, and knowledge of the Wintun/Patwin homeland and was designed to increase teacher confidence and competency in leading classroom lessons that center the Wintun/Patwin people. Linda poured her energy and heart into this work, as she did with all her endeavors.

She is survived by her husband Kevin, their son Julien, and daughter-in-law Gilly. A memorial service will be held at the Brunelle Performance Hall in Davis, CA, on August 16th at 3 p.m. All who knew her are welcome to attend and celebrate her life. As part of the program, her friends and family have selected books from her collection to share and give to others. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name can be made to a charity that benefits education or arts opportunities for students.