Damian Guevara dies

Published: Monday, July 30, 2012, 3:51 PM Updated: Tuesday, July 31, 2012, 12:03 AM
 By Grant Segall

 MALAGA, Spain -- Damian G. Guevara wrote for The Plain Dealer and taught English to children in Spain.
 After fighting depression for more than 20 years, Guevara took his life on July 23 in Malaga, Spain. He was 37.
 "He was a talented writer, a compassionate friend, and had an infectious laugh," said Plain Dealer reporter Rachel Dissell, who often teamed with Guevara on stories. "He always sensitively responded to the families of victims. They always seemed calmed and comforted after talking to him. They knew he really listened."

The outgoing Guevara liked to coin nicknames, calling a colleague "Good Times" and his Mustang "White Heat, Red Hot." He wrote short fiction, liked craft beers, sang, played guitar, composed, jammed with friends and donated to Cleveland college radio stations, even from Spain. He liked all sorts of music, from country to heavy metal. One New Year's Eve, he rented a top hat and tails for himself and a rhinestone gown for a lonely friend. They went out for chili cheese slaw hot dogs at 2 a.m
. Guevara was raised in San Antonio. He earned degrees in English at the University of Notre Dame and journalism at Syracuse University. He interned at the Syracuse newspapers in 2000. He spent 2001 at The Plain Dealer as a Newhouse Fellow, writing for the Metro section. Then came a year at the Beaumont Enterprise in Texas.
 He returned to The Plain Dealer's Metro section as a reporter from 2003 through 2008. He lived in Lakewood and Cleveland. He wrote about crime, politics, weather, even, at an editor's request, his Mustang.
 As a reporter, Guevara also wrote many stories over the years about suicide, not only about people who died that way but about depression and how people can be helped. Said co-worker Dissell, "He was always searching for answers and truths."
 The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers free, confidential support to struggling people, their families and friends at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
 Guevara took a buyout in 2008 and went on to cover politics for Scene Magazine. In 2010, he and his wife, Shaheen Samavati, another former Plain Dealer reporter, moved to Madrid so she could study there. He became an English language assistant at a bilingual elementary school in the nearby city of Alcala de Henares. He loved the work and often spent recess playing with the children or teaching them guitar.
 He had Spanish ancestors by way of Mexico and liked exploring his roots. He visited a lush green village in the Basque region of northern Spain that shared his surname. He also traveled widely in Spain and other parts of Europe. The couple recently moved to Malaga on the Mediterranean for Samavati's work. Guevara planned to start teaching at a nearby elementary school.
 Trevino Funeral Home in San Antonio is handling his arrangements. Survivors include his wife, parents, three brothers and seven nieces and nephews.