Obituary of Raymond W. Regan

Raymond W. Regan, Sr., 73, of Boalsburg, PA, died Tuesday, February 28, 2017, in Juniper Village of Brookline, in State College, PA. Born August 30, 1943, in Richmond Hill, NY, he was the son of the late Capt. Raymond L. and Marion Wesley Regan. As the son of an Army officer in World War II, Ray did not meet his father until the end of the war in 1945. While his father served in North Africa, Italy, France, Germany, and Belgium, Ray thrived at home with his mother and grandparents caring for him. Upon returning from the war, Capt. Regan's first task as a new father was to take his long, curly, blonde-haired son to the barber for his first haircut. In Rosedale, NY at St. Clare's Catholic church on July 6, 1968, he married Mary Elizabeth Mignogna, who survives. His greatest joy are his nine incredibly funny children, Raymond W. Regan, Jr. and his wife, Sara, of Pleasant Gap; Daniel J. Regan and his wife, Lisa, of Houston, TX; Michael A. Regan and his wife, Zuzana, of Albuquerque, NM; Rose Marie Ward and her husband, John, of Oxford, OH; Bernadette Marie Regan of Joshua Tree, CA; John Paul Regan and his wife, Rebekah, of Pittsburgh, PA; Robert J. Regan of State College, PA; and Elizabeth A. Pecknold and her husband, Ryan, of Nederland, CO. Ray leaves his seven awesome siblings, Ronald Regan and his wife, Eileen of Mountainville, NY; Roger and his wife, Elizabeth of Garden City, NY; Richard Regan and his wife Linda Celauro of Hackensack, NJ; Marina Sullivan and her husband, Kevin of Boscawen, NH; Michelle Meneses and her husband, Larry of Hauppauge, NY; Melinda Alford and her husband, John of Garden City, NY; and Martine Caselli and her husband, Ron of Stoneybrook, NY. The sparkle of his day are his eleven grandchildren, Morgan, Andrew, Bethany, Mathias, Lindsey, Anna, Sophie, Samko, Elijah, Joshua, and Nehemiah Ward. His parents preceded him in death. In addition, his son, Thomas A. Regan, on August 11, 1987, and an infant sister, Christine Regan in 1951, preceded him in death. Ray attended the Gate of Heaven Roman Catholic Grammar School and graduated from The Chaminade High School in Mineola, NY, class of 1961. He received a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering in 1965 and a master's degree in Sanitary and Civil Engineering in 1966 both from Manhattan College. In 1972, Ray received his PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Kansas. At Manhattan College, Ray worked with John S. Jeris Sc.D. researching activated algae as the Project Engineer overseeing the Civil Engineering laboratory. At the University of Kansas, Ray studied under Ross E. Mc Kinney Ph.D. through a US Public Health Grant. His emphasis was the biodegradation of waste water. He also spent ten weeks during the summer of 1982, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oakridge TN. Moreover, Ray was a Fulbright Scholar who traveled to Portugal and South Korea to provide guidance on foundries and waste water management. Ray enjoyed his work with the Foundries of Eastern Penn doing sand reclamation, land fills throughout the Pennsylvania area, the US Army at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, and the US Navy researching ground reclamation of Jet Plane fuel discharge prior to landing. He worked with PSU setting up digesters for the cow manure. They were able to use the methane gas, a byproduct of the cow waste, and work with local farmers recycling turkey waste to produce methane as an alternate source of energy. He retired from Penn State University in 2009 after 37 years of service as a full Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. During his tenure at the university, he had over 150 peer-reviewed publications and millions of dollars of grants and contracts. He enjoyed his time in the classroom and the connections he had with his graduate students. Ray was a faithful Catholic. He taught high school religious education for more than twelve years and was active in other Our Lady of Victory Catholic church activities. He cherished his faith and the responsibility being a Catholic brought to him. His friends and family knew him as a quiet, sincere, and loving man. Ray's first love was his wife Mary Beth and their nine wacky children. He rarely took work home. He preferred to spend the evening being with the children, reading them stories, playing games, and singing them to sleep with silly songs. The children enjoyed being the star of each evening story. He coached little league baseball. He may have had losing seasons, but his team always had a good time. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., on Friday, March 3, 2017, at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St., State College. Memorial Mass will be at 11 a.m., on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, 820 Westerly Parkway, State College, with the Reverend Neil Dadey officiating. Burial will be in Centre County Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady of Victory Catholic School, 800 Westerly Parkway, State College, PA 16801 to the Raymond W. Regan scholarship, or to Father Ralph Mensa, Holy Name of Mary Academy, Beyin, Ghana, through Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com or visit us on Facebook.