by Greta Cobar
Don Geagan was one of my favorite co-volunteers on the Beachhead collective. A veteran who willingly enlisted, as he used to say, “because back then that’s what you did for your country,” he later in life became an ever-present figure at Veterans for Peace Arlington West anti-war display of crosses on the Santa Monica beach. His volunteer work in Venice also included the Venice Arts Council and the Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument.
When I joined the Beachhead collective in 2009, Don had already been on the Collective since 2007, and we worked together till 2013, when one evening I tried calling him and there was no answer. That worried me, and I wanted to go check on him, but was afraid to go by myself. So I called Emily Winters and convinced her to go with me to his house on Venezia the next morning. When we went, he was on the floor and could not get up. He had been on the floor for over 24 hours. Following that he moved in with his son Raymond Geagan in Santa Ana.
I surely missed him when he left Venice. He was always available for whatever needed to be done, from distributing to sustaining the Beachhead; participating in fundraising events and parties at Beyond Baroque and the Abbot Kinney Festival; attending rallies we organized, such as to save the Venice Post Office. He was present at all of our weekly Beachhead collective meetings, contributing with his great insight as well as the occasional pizzas and wine that he generously bought for the collective, even though he stopped drinking well before I met him.
Generosity was one of Don’s trademarks: when the Beachhead didn’t have money to go to print, he loaned whatever was needed. When the Venice Arts Council needed help publishing the Art Tiles at Venice Beach book, he loaned a thousand dollars. That’s in addition to his donations to these two organizations, and the Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument as well.
But what I missed most about Don when he left Venice was his friendship. He was my biggest ally and admirer. The Beachhead meetings were less fun and more intimidating without him. His calm presence and wise words were a big comfort for me during the four years that we worked together on the collective. His help made a big difference in our efforts to publish the Beachhead monthly.
Born on November 3, 1935 in Newton, Massachusetts, Don had fond memories of an idyllic childhood of pickup games, ping pong and rough-housing with his three brothers John, Tom and Richard. He earned the nickname “Champ” after one memorable fight against a bully, and it stuck for the rest of his life for “those in the know.” He attended Our Lady’s Catholic High School, where he played baseball, football and basketball, earning the “Athlete of the Year” award during his senior year. It was at this time that he also started singing, which he continued into adulthood.
Enlisting in the US Army in September 1954, Don was sent to Fort Dix in New Jersey for basic training and was subsequently stationed in France and Germany until August 1956. Upon discharge he moved to Venice, where he played an active role in the historic 1960 California nomination of John F. Kennedy as a presidential candidate. He worked with his brother Richard in various capacities for their older brother John, who was an organizing coordinator for the campaign. According to Don, they made a lot of money selling “free” buttons to JFK supporters.
In 1962 Don met and married Helene (nee Montagne), with whom he had two sons, Donald Jr. and Raymond. After Donald Jr. was born with cerebral palsy, Don became involved with United Cerebral Palsy, which he supported at different events and outings . Raymond’s two children, Conor and Cassie were Don’s pride and joy. Although we missed him dearly after he moved to Santa Ana, living with his two grandkids while they went through high school was probably one of the highlights of his life. Don was so proud of Cassie pursuing music in college, just like he himself did in high school, and of Conor becoming a successful registered nurse.
Another thing that Don was very proud of was his remarkable career (1965-1998) in the horseracing industry, having worked at some of Southern California’s iconic race tracks, including Hollywood Park, Santa Anita, Los Alamitos and Del Mar as a program seller and eventually program manager. He used to say that he witnessed some of the most memorable moments in horse racing, and he enjoyed the live atmosphere, gambling, jockeys and the horses. As the gregarious, jolly person that he was, he formed lifelong friendships that he always treasured.
A favorite pastime of Don’s was watching high school, college and professional athletics. Back in the early 80s he especially cherished watching with his older son Donald Jr. the football games that his younger son Raymond played in for Loyola High School.
Donald Edward “Champ” Geagan died August 20, 2025 in Tustin, CA. He was 89 years old. The numerous, meaningful contributions that he made during his lifetime through his work, friendships and generosity are eternal and forever appreciated. He is survived by his two sons Donald Jr. and Raymond; daughter-in-law Mary Jean; grandchildren Conor and Cassie; brother Richard and his wife Susan; nieces Debbie, Emily, Meg, Anne and nephews Tom and Jay.