Daniel Joseph Geary was born in Upland, California, to Randell and Rose Geary on April 18, 1980. He was a loving son, brother, uncle, and friend. He was always positive and had a wonderful sense of humor. Dan looked for the good in every situation and was hardworking and compassionate to others in their time of need. Dan’s parents noticed his compassionate and caring heart when he was only two years old. At age four, he showed a definite interest in firefighting due to the wonderful influence of his two uncles who worked as firefighters for North County Fire in Fallbrook, California.

Daniel started in the fire service at age 15 as a fire explorer in Ontario, California, and earned numerous certifications. At age 18, he became an EMT while going to Crafton Hills Fire Academy. He continued on to become a paramedic and also worked as a reserve firefighter in Fallbrook and Valley Center, California. Perseverance was one of Daniel’s outstanding character qualities, and it was evident throughout his fire career. Daniel’s last place of employment was with CAL FIRE San Diego, where he worked with Fire Captain/Paramedic Shavawn Johnson. She shares this:

He loved being a paramedic and would regularly pull out his thank you cards from various patients he had, thanking him for his wonderful service, empathy, and help. We would regularly go to an elderly patient that fell and was a lift assist, and Dan would ask if he could change their smoke detector batteries or help with anything in their house. He always went above and beyond the call of duty. He was compassionate and empathetic to his patients. I have no doubt Dan would be an amazing engineer/paramedic today and probably would have been working on preparing to promote to a fire captain in the near future. He is extremely missed. We are all so very grateful for his teamwork and commitment on 911 incidents. We miss him dearly and are sharing stories regularly.

Daniel passed away from complications of brain cancer on July 5, 2018. He was a man of faith who devoted his life to sharing the love of Jesus. He had a big heart and inspired those around him. He served the citizens of California with honor and distinction for over 15 years, leaving a lasting impact on CAL FIRE and the communities he served. Outside of work, Daniel enjoyed cooking, eating healthy, motorcycle riding, music, surfing, and working out. He loved his firefighter family and friends and his family, Randy and Rose Geary (parents), Jennifer Mary (sister), Jaron (nephew), and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. When we think of Dan, we smile and rejoice in the memories we have shared.