David Michael Callison, 59 passed away on February 3, 2021 in San Jose, CA. David was born in San Fernando, CA and moved to Smith River, CA with his family in 1964. David grew up in SmithRiver and got his life-long love of animals from helping out at his father’s veterinary clinic.Working at the Ship ashore restaurant during high school sparked his interest in the culinary arts. After graduating from Del Norte High, David moved to the Sacramento area, then to Houston, eventually landing in San Francisco where he worked for many years as a chef in various restaurants including Julius’ Castle, Fleur de lys, and Masa’s. David graduated from the California Culinary Academy with Honors in 1988. While working at Bay City Bar and Grill, David met and fell in love with Erika Fitakis. They were married in 1990 at the Smith River United Methodist Church. They later divorced.In the early 2000’s, David moved from San Francisco to San Jose and commuted to Stanford University where he worked for their food services department. During these years in San JoseDavid was able to maintain many years of sobriety by regularly attending AA meetings and becoming part of a local church. He took horseback riding lessons, found a love of country music and developed an extensive cookbook collection. David also collected and enjoyed wearing Hawaiian style shirts.David is survived by his mother, Barbara Callison and sisters Sheila Callison and Roberta Steinberg. He was predeceased by his father, Jack Callison and sister Sandy Callison.David will forever be in our hearts. If you wish to honor David, please make a donation to a homeless shelter, food bank, Alcoholics Anonymous or to the Smith River United Methodist Church. To plant a tree in memory of David Callison as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });