Don Deane, the longtime owner of Smiley’s Schooner Saloon who for decades published a monthly newspaper in Bolinas and was a foster and adopted parent for many local youths, needs help covering his health expenses. Three months after undergoing brain surgery for a condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus, Mr. Deane is staying in a board and care home in Sonoma County and relying on social security to get by. His friends and family have set up a GoFundMe page for his ongoing care, and plan to establish a special-needs trust so that monies raised don’t inflict a tax burden on Mr. Deane, who left Bolinas to operate a campground in the Sierra Nevada when he sold Smiley’s in 2014. “The hallmark of Don is always being involved in things,” said close friend Alex Horvath. Mr. Deane, a former probation officer, ran a foster home, helmed the saloon and served as the editor and the publisher of the Coastal Post, which rivaled the Light for local news and was known for its strong editorial voice. (Mr. Horvath recounted a time when Mr. Deane, struggling to keep his diesel 1980 Cutlass station wagon on the road for newspaper deliveries, ran a story that berated General Motors, calling the wagon the “antichrist.”) Mr. Deane also served on several local governing bodies, including the board of the Bolinas-Stinson Union School District. Mr. Horvath said that no one is quite sure why—possibly due to trouble with the I.R.S.—but Mr. Deane had to sell the campground and that now his financial situation is severe. “It’s my hope that we can give him a slight cushion, so maybe he could afford an apartment of his own, and also cover the medical expenses as they come in,” said Mr. Horvath, who grew up in Bolinas and remains close with many of Mr. Deane’s foster children. “This guy who took in over 100 foster kids, who would give away rooms to homeless people in need, loans to people who needed them, really known for his charity, is now in a position where we have to help him,” Mr. Horvath said. To donate to his campaign, visit gofundme.com and search for “Don Deane.”