EDITORIAL:Measure this man by his generosity

Men like John Crean come around once in a lifetime. And what a lifetime, he had.

Newport-Mesa lost a true gem of a man Thursday, when Crean died at 81.

There’s no denying that Crean was a rich man in more ways than one. As the founder of Fleetwood Enterprises, he amassed a fortune building motor and manufactured homes. Fleetwood was a Fortune 500 company and as of last year was worth more than $2 billion.

But John Crean was much more than his money. He was a benefactor extraordinaire. He began his lifetime of giving back in 1950, dedicating 10% of his earnings to a Lutheran church.

In Newport-Mesa and Orange County, he left a mark that will be remembered forever.

A $1-million donation he made in 1981 helped ensure the construction of the Crystal Cathedral. He gave $2 million toward the construction of the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana.

Balboa Performing Arts Theater officials are forever grateful for his $1 million in seed money toward that cause and school and city officials named the Mariners School library after Crean and his wife of 58 years, Donna, after they generously donated a half a million dollars to its creation.

The YMCA, Hoag Hospital and so many others have Crean to thank for his generosity.

Indeed, the Village Crean mansion he built in Santa Ana Heights, on the rim of the Upper Newport Bay, was created not only as a home but as a place to host fundraisers and benefits for his favorite causes.

With Crean’s death this week, we watched as the accolades came in. We know that his family will feel his loss for the months and years ahead. But they should take comfort in knowing what a legacy he created.

Because what we heard and read since his passing just fortified what we already knew as well.

That it is not the money that is the measure of the man but the people he touched and the lives he bettered throughout his lifetime.

And by that measurement, John Crean was truly a giant.