WILMINGTON — Mark Joseph Regan, 78 – loving husband, devoted father, educator, volunteer fireman, public servant, renowned Jersey Shore bartender, and friend to many – passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on October 4, 2024. Mark was born into a proud Irish Catholic family in Plainfield, New Jersey.
The son of Michael J. Regan and Marion Regan (nee Bush), his early family included his brother M. Daniel “Danny” Regan, sister Maureen Reilly (nee Regan), and numerous uncles, aunts, and cousins in the Regan, O’Keefe, Caufield, and Desmond families.
Mark graduated from Plainfield High School in 1964 before going on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in history from Mount Saint Mary’s College in 1968 and a Master of Education from Monmouth College. Mark embarked on his calling as a public educator teaching history in his hometown of Plainfield.
It was not long, however, until he moved to the Jersey Shore to teach in the Toms River Regional School System, where he would remain for the rest of his thirty-four years in public education. His talents as both an educator and a leader resulted in his rise to school supervisor, then Vice Principal of Toms River Intermediate School East, and Principal of Toms River Intermediate School West. Mark would later help mold a new generation of public educators as both a mentor to student teachers and an associate professor of education at Florida Atlantic University.
Mark’s life at the Jersey Shore was known for many things beyond his teaching. He made countless friends and memories working behind the bar at Jimmy Byrnes’ Sea Girt Inn as well as in the numerous other establishments he would go on to manage, including the Old Mill Inn. None of those memories was more special than the night of July 4th, 1969, when he met his wife of 53 years, Lynn, at the Sea Girt Inn. Mark and Lynn made a wonderful life for themselves and their children at the Jersey Shore.
Always looking to be involved in his community, Mark held numerous offices in local government, including seats on the Wall Township Board of Adjustment, Wall Township Committee, and Sea Girt Town Council and terms as the Sea Girt Police Commissioner and Sea Girt Fire Commissioner. Mark also founded the Sea Girt Beautification Committee. Perhaps none of his public service brought him more joy than his years in the Sea Girt Fire Department and the comradery he had with his fellow firefighters.
In retirement, Mark and Lynn enjoyed eighteen wonderful years living in PGA Village in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. They moved to Wilmington, North Carolina in 2018 to be close to their grandchildren. Surprising to no one who knew him, Mark developed numerous close and cherished friendships everywhere he went, from New Jersey to Florida and North Carolina. The joy he brought to his family and friends over his 78 years can be summed up in the two words he ended every conversation with – “keep smiling.”
Mark is preceded in death by his parents and his brother Danny. He is survived by his wife Lynn Regan; his daughter Victoria “Tory” Ann Regan of London, England; his son Conor Regan and his wife Eileen, of Wilmington, North Carolina; his grandchildren Patrick M. Regan and Michael J. Regan; his sister-in-law Marie Regan of Wall Township, New Jersey, and her children Mary Beth McCarthy (nee Regan) and her husband, Chris of Manasquan, New Jersey, and Michael R. Regan and his wife, Anna, of Wall Township, New Jersey; and his sister Maureen Reilly and her husband Terry of South Plainfield, New Jersey and their twelve children.
A funeral mass will be held at St. Mark Catholic Church, 1011 Eastwood Road, Wilmington, North Carolina, on October 18, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., with a repast to follow.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
