James W. Eaton
James W. Eaton was born in New Mexico in 1957 but was raised in Oklahoma. After high school, he went to work at the Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company for some time before moving to Dallas in 1976, where he worked for Lone Star Steel while attending the University of Texas at Dallas. He obtained his degree in business from UTD and stayed in Dallas, working in the oil and gas industry until 1989, at which time he was recruited to work for a company in the same field in California.
Once in California, James never left, but he always identified as being a Texan. While living in California, Mr. Eaton continued honing his skills in business and became very successful. He
was able to combine his love of golfing and travel with his work life, and he did much traveling. James had a big personality. He had a deep, gruff voice and a heart of gold. Anyone who ever
met him will never forget him.
When his mother, who had raised James and his younger brother as a single parent, got sick with lung cancer, James endeavored to get her the best treatment he could for her incurable disease. Little could be done, and she died in 2010.
James, too, got lung cancer in 2019 and began treatment at the University of California at Irvine. In 2020 he was enrolled in a clinical trial for lung cancer, and his cancer stabilized for quite a while. But in early 2021, James’s cancer had spread to his brain, and he died of leptomeningeal disease on March 2, 2021.
In his final years, James did much reflecting and decided, based upon his experiences, he wanted to leave his mark on this world by creating a foundation that would help in the following areas: cancer, youth in crisis, and disadvantaged single women.
Throughout his illness, it became apparent that in the current medical model, there is a lack of social and psychological support for cancer patients, family members, and/or those helping to care for them.
Additionally, James decided to help disadvantaged single women and youth in crisis, having witnessed the difficulty his mother had in raising two boys alone, as well as family members and friends’ children struggling with addiction and mental health.
Service Area
Southern California
