DAN BEAGAN

DAN (D.J.) BEAGAN Dan (D.J.) Beagan of Etobicoke, passed away on April 11, 2013, the eve of his 93rd birthday, doing what he loved, being out and about. We thank the person who comforted him when he collapsed and Dr. Puri and staff at St. Joseph's Hospital, Etobicoke, for their kindness. At a young age Dan was a go-getter. He was 4 when he first took the reins for the team of horses owned by his dad. His first job at age 6 was at the family sawmill. His dad was scaling lumber coming off the saw, putting it in piles, calling out the numbers for Dan to copy and calculate the totals per wagon. The Great Depression hit hard and in 1936 Dan left school to help support the family. Dan met the love of his life Audrey, a Toronto girl, in 1938, although he didn't realize that until the summer of 1939! On September 9, 1939, war was declared and he hitchhiked to Toronto to enlist. Dan joined the Ontario Regiment (Tanks), then the Victoria Rifles and was sent overseas to Newfoundland. On leave from Newfoundland, Dan eloped with Audrey on April 15, 1941. In May 1943 he was in Aldershot, England, when he was "reclaimed" by the Ontarios. Dan contended that the Ontarios baseball team needed a good third base man! With the Ontarios Dan saw significant action in Italy, France, Germany and Holland. Dan returned home on July 2, 1944. He was hired by Etobicoke police, meeting the 5'10' height requirement by wearing 2 pairs of heavy woolen socks! Dan built the family home in 1947 in Etobicoke where he continued to live. In 1955, Dan surprised Audrey with the purchase of a piece of "swamp" near Bobcaygeon where Dan built the family cottage. Eventually, Dan found his niche in sales ending his career with Pure Metal Galvanizing in 1979. Dan and Audrey enjoyed decades of summers at the cottage with family and friends and where Dan spent many happy hours in his vegetable garden. Dan was an extremely active man to the end who acted and looked younger than his years. He was a member of Islington United Church, Mimico Masonic Lodge, Etobicoke Senior Centre, the Ontario Regiment and an avid contract bridge player. A deeply caring man, Dan readily helped others, driving for appointments, visiting. He treasured his neighbours who made him part of their lives. A storyteller extraordinaire with an incredible memory for details of people and places, Dan entertained with a rich history of his times. Sundays were spent comparing crossword answers with Lorrie and Steve. Weekdays started with a call to Lorrie and a coffee with his friend Ralph Kearney. Most importantly to Dan, he was a devoted husband to Audrey, who passed away on August 18, 2011, loved his children Cheryl, Janice (predeceased 1991) and Lorrie. Dan was very proud of his son-in-law Steve; grandchildren, Claire, Amy, Adam, Kristopher, Jeffrey; great- grandchildren, Elise, Kathryn and his "daughter" Rosanne Wild. Born April 12, 1920 at Parry Sound, the third child of twelve to Florence and George Beagan, Dan is survived by sister Marion Dunk, brothers Cliff (Barb) and Bill (Barb) and predeceased by infant brothers, Robert and Doug and brothers Jack (Bunny), Ted (Martha), Ross (survived by Iona) and sisters Hilda Cox (survived by Frank), Connie Patterson (survived by Jack), Judy Gibson (Tim). Dan is survived by sisters-in-law Irene Craig (Carl deceased), Marilyn Noble (Doug), brother-in-law Ern Miles (Ann), cousin-in-law Pat Archer (Fred deceased). Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held at Islington United Church, 25 Burnhamthorpe Road, at 1:30 p.m., April 17, 2013. In lieu of flowers, donations to Ontario Regiment Foundation.