On the morning of Nov. 5, 2020, Neil W. Regan, 80, of South Scranton, died peacefully at his funeral home after a brief illness, surrounded by his family. Neil was passionate about his family, his Catholic faith, friends, his Irish roots, and his 50-plus years serving families as a funeral director at the Neil W. Regan Funeral Home. A devoted husband to Barbara Moran who preceded him in death in 2016 after 52 years of marriage, Neil was a wonderful father and adoring grandfather. His unconditional love and sense of humor is his most enduring legacy. The only thing greater than his laugh was his heart!
Son of the late Frank M. Regan, also a funeral director, and Clare MacDonald Regan, and grandson of the late John E. Regan, an immigrant child miner who in the late 1800s founded the first Regan Funeral Home in Bellevue, Neil shared their strong work ethic, commitment to serving the community and the belief that all human life is sacred and every person deserves a caring, dignified funeral. He took great pride in his professional success, measuring it not in dollars but in the thousands of letters of gratitude he received from families he had guided through the most difficult days of their lives. He proudly served on the Pennsylvania State Board of Funeral Directors from 1993 to 1998 and was a member of the Pennsylvania and Lackawanna County Funeral Directors Associations, and enjoyed lasting relationships with countless other area funeral directors. His legacy will be continued by his son, Brendan, who is now supervisor of the funeral home.
Neil was a 1957 graduate of West Scranton High School and a United States Army veteran, where he served as a dental hygienist and medic. He later graduated from the University of Scranton and Simmons School of Mortuary Science in Syracuse, N.Y. Prior to starting his funeral business, Neil was a school teacher at West Scranton High School and he started the Dental Hygiene Program at (the former) Vocational Technical School.
Neil and his family vacationed nearly every summer of his life enjoying the Jersey Shore, as a child in Atlantic City and in later years in Avalon where he walked the boardwalks and enjoyed swimming in the ocean, drawing the ire and whistles of lifeguards on a daily basis... but he was always close enough to Scranton should he need to return.
He is survived by a daughter, Barbara Regan Chillemi and husband, Ron, Ridgewood, N.J.; two sons, Neil Jr. and wife, Elizabeth Drago, New York; and Brendan and wife, Sarah Stachura, Jermyn; a sister, Anne Marie Regan, Scranton; a brother, Robert Regan and wife Patricia, of Mechanicsburg, Pa.; two grandsons, Jack Chillemi and Theo Drago-Regan; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins; and his dear friends and colleagues, Gene Cusick and Rich Ostroski, all of whom he dearly loved.
He was preceded in death by brothers, Donald Regan; Jack Regan and his wife, Margaret; and Frank Regan and his wife, Mary; and a sister, Eleanor and husband, John "Bosh" Bosha.
The family sincerely thanks Dr. Wayne Weston as well as the staffs at Moses Taylor Hospital and Allied Services Integrated Health for the extraordinary care they provided during his final weeks.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church at St. Paul of the Cross Parish, celebrated by the Rev. Scott Sterowski, pastor, followed by interment at St. Catherine's Cemetery, Moscow. Friends and family may call Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Neil W. Regan Funeral Home Inc., 1900 Pittston Ave., Scranton PA 18505.
Appropriate screening and occupancy reductions will be observed and guests will be asked to limit time spent with the family. Expect delays. Due to space limitations at the church, those attending the funeral Mass are asked to register with the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Joseph's Center, 2010 Adams Ave., Scranton PA 18509, or at stjosephscenter.org, or the Vasculitis Foundation, PO Box 28660, Kansas City, MO 64188 www.vasculitisfoundation.org.