Donald Angel

He was born in Brooklyn, NY, and died peacefully at his home in Rossmoor on August 5, surrounded by his wife, Joanne, and his loving family.

Don was the son of Rose and Lou Angel and was part of a tight-knit family of Jewish immigrants who made their way from Poland to New York in the early 1900s. He had an older sister, Lee, and a large extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. While Don always remained close to the relatives he grew up with in Brooklyn, he was drawn to the moderate climate he discovered on the West Coast while serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

He would spend his entire adult life in Orange County, CA, but before Don put down roots in Southern California, he met and married his first wife, Jane, in 1951, while stationed in Lynchburg, VA. They soon moved to San Bernardino, CA, and from there, Don was sent to Korea as a sergeant in charge of supplies for the frontlines. After he completed his military service, he settled with Jane in Costa Mesa, CA, and they raised four children together.

Don began his civilian career in the insurance business, but his true talent was writing. Fortunately, he was discovered early by a newspaper editor who admired the articles he was writing as a volunteer for the Costa Mesa Lion’s Club newsletter. Soon he was getting paid for what he most loved to do. In 1959, he landed his first writing job as a reporter for the Orange County Register. It was the beginning of a long, award-winning career in journalism.

Don worked his way up from general assignments to the courthouse beat at The Register, demonstrating a natural talent that drew the attention of the leading metropolitan newspaper in Southern California. In 1963, he joined the Los Angeles Times. He was among the first reporters recruited by The Times to launch an Orange County edition. After covering courts, politics and county government, he became the first Times editorial writer in Orange County, a role that would lead to his appointment as editor of the Sunday Opinion Column and Letters to the Editor.

Don was widely respected for his accuracy, fairness and dedication to excellence as a reporter and editorial writer. His editorials covered a breadth of topics related to such issues as Orange County government and politics, healthcare, education, land use, social and economic problems, and the arts. Over the years, he received numerous writing awards from professional organizations such as the Orange County Press Club and Sigma Delta Chi (Society of Professional Journalists). Don, who served as president of both organizations, was regularly recognized for best news story and best editorial of the year, among many other awards. In 1983, he earned the Orange County Press Club’s highest honor—the Sky Dunlap Award for exemplary professionalism and service.

Throughout his career, Don always made time to mentor student journalists through programs such as the Explorer Scouts. He taught journalism at California State University, Fullerton, and gave guest lectures on writing at a number of other colleges as well as high schools.

Don went back to school himself during his early years at The Times, attending Stanford University for several months to study government and law under a prestigious Ford Foundation Professional Journalism Fellowship.

In the midst of his demanding career, Don went through a personal transition that made him part of another large and loving family—and led him to become a father again at the age of 70. Don and Joanne Curran married in 1988 and their son, Robert, was born in 2001. Don enjoyed nothing more than hosting family gatherings at his home to celebrate special occasions. And nearly every year, he attended reunions of the Angel Family Circle, a large and ever-expanding extended family that has been gathering regularly for more than eight decades.

Don retired from journalism after 32 years of service to the Los Angeles Times and turned his attention to volunteer work. He served on the board of the Lung Association of Orange County and worked as a civilian volunteer for the California Highway Patrol, but the effort closest to his heart was fostering a love of reading among elementary schoolchildren. He participated in the Los Angeles Times Reading by Nine program and volunteered at his younger son’s former elementary school, where he read aloud to classes and worked one-on-one with students.

Retirement also gave Don more time to follow his favorite sports—baseball and ice hockey. He was a loyal fan of the Angels and the Los Angeles Kings, and he served as a scorer and line judge for the Long Beach Ice Dogs. His passions also included poker, Sunday brunch buffets, running (he celebrated his 50th birthday by completing a marathon) and rice pudding. He remained an avid newspaper reader throughout his life.

Don is survived by Joanne and Robert; his four older children, Debbie, Sherry (husband Michael), Jill and Dan (wife Cindy), as well as six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was greatly supported during his months on hospice by a team of devoted caregivers to whom his family is eternally grateful.

A private service will be held at Pacific View Mortuary & Memorial Park in Newport Beach. Memorial donations can be made to the Society of Professional Journalists Foundation, spj.org/donate.