Donald B. Tanklage

1934 - 2015

Donald B. Tanklage
Resident of Pioneer, California
Contractor - Developer - Philanthropist
Don Tanklage passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 27, 2015, surrounded by his family at his home in Pioneer, California.
Born in San Francisco on February 23, 1934, Don was the child of European immigrant parents, Bernard and Marguerite Tanklage. He attended Sequoia High School, graduating in 1953, and continued his education at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and Architecture. His senior Project, a geodesic dome, can still be seen on the Cal Poly campus. After serving time in the Army, he was employed by the Army Corp of Engineers, which included work on The Bay Project.
As newlyweds, Don and Carole built their first home in Redwood City on a steep lot some had declared unbuildable. Don was undaunted by the challenges of construction and, with panoramic views of the Bay, the house was completed and it remained their home for the balance of his life.
During their second year of 57 years of marriage Don and Carole built their family cabin in the high Sierras where he became the water master for the highly technical water system which serviced the mountain community.
With dreams of working for himself and of being his own boss, Don and his wife, Carole, founded Tanklage Construction Company in 1959 which enjoyed enormous success over the decades that followed, building many commercial, industrial and residential projects in the Bay Area and throughout California, including the Drake Professional Building in San Carlos, Coyote Point Yacht Club in San Mateo, the remodel of Circle Star Theatre in Redwood City, and, in 1978, the most challenging of his many projects, Dante's Sea Catch Restaurant at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Don was particularly proud of the Tanklage Square business park he constructed in San Carlos and of his beloved home in Pioneer in the California Gold Country. In many of these projects, the "experts" would advise Don that some things could not possibly be done and the challenge was on! The technical and engineering issues were overcome and the projects brought to completion.
Later in life, Don Tanklage established the Donald B. Tanklage and Carole F. Tanklage Foundation, providing grants to numerous charitable and educational projects and organizations in San Mateo County and Northern California.
Don is survived by his wife, Carole; his daughters, Lyndie Tanklage and Kris Murphy (Mark Murphy); and grandchildren Jackson Murphy and Maggie Murphy.
Services will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Don's name to: Don Tanklage Scholarship in Architecture/Construction Management, California Polytechnic University, One Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 or Hospice of Amador & Calaveras, 1500 So. Hwy. 49, Suite 205, Jackson, CA 95642.


View the online memorial for Donald B. Tanklage