FAIR GAME:A life that defied ordinary

Funerals aren’t typically that much fun.

However, local philanthropist John Crean was not typical.

On Thursday, well over 1,000 people attended the final services for Crean at the magnificent Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove following his death last week of congestive heart failure.

Some shed tears. Others filled the room with laughter.

What everyone recognized, though, was just how much John, and his wife, Donna, had touched the lives of others.

One of the speakers, James Doti, president of Chapman University, had prepared a list of the organizations the Creans had donated to over the years to see its magnitude. He spared the audience the time in sharing it, figuring to read it would have taken well over 18 minutes.

And you can imagine the gifts were a million here, a hundred thousand there, and so on.

He helped the indigent, children, hospitals, churches, performing arts and colleges.

He began years ago tithing 10% of the money he made to charities. As his success and wealth grew, so did his tithing.

Robert Schuller — who formed the church, built the congregation and dictated the decision to build the Crystal Cathedral — recognized Crean as the person responsible behind his dream.

You see, some years back Schuller had an idea and needed some seed money to get the project going. Even though he had never met Crean, he was steered his way to ask for an initial gift. Within one day, Crean pledged a $1-million gift, and the Crystal Cathedral became reality.

You might say New York has the house that Ruth built, and Orange County has the house that Crean built. In either case, both are world-renowned structures.

Clancy Imislund, a longtime Crean friend and the head of the Midnight Mission in skid row in downtown Los Angeles, had a similar story.

Imislund came to Orange County and asked Crean for a gift. He got $1 million. But there was a problem. Imislund needed more. So he sent one of Crean’s favorite Hollywood actors down to ask for another gift. Dick Van Dyke managed to get another million, and the Midnight Mission’s dream of having a new facility also became reality.

Today they help hundreds of people a day and thousands of people a month. All because of John Crean.

On the way back to the office following the service, my mind drifted to another death I’ve been struggling with this past week.

Twenty-three-year-old Mark Daily, a local Irvine kid who grew up and went to school with my daughter, was killed Monday in Iraq.

Just 23 years old.

Army 2nd Lt. Daily was killed when the military vehicle he was in was struck by a bomb.

He leaves behind a bride of 18 months and a wonderful family.

I had the pleasure of knowing them all through my daughter’s school and her participation in softball.

It got me thinking. John Crean, 81 years of living and so much accomplishment. He leaves behind a legacy that few, if any, will match.

And Army 2nd Lt. Mark Daily, just 23. So much life ahead of him, but in just one moment, it’s over. Some would say a legacy of giving one’s life for our country is unsurpassed.

The timing might be just right for John and Mark to meet in that next life. Knowing John, I’m sure he’d be impressed with all that Mark accomplished.