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Regina was born on June 26, 1926. She grew up Regina Casey, of Irish decent. Her grandfather, Patrick, was the first in his family to come to the United States from Ireland. Her grandmother, Sarah, was of Scottish decent.
Regina led a full life that could be looked at in three time frames. During each of these times she brought much love and friendship to many.
The first was her childhood growing up on a farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This was before the suburbs arrived in Bucks County. Here she lived with her parents, Samuel and Regina, four sisters and two brothers. Some of her aunts and uncles also lived on the farm. One of her sisters, Muriel, died very young and one of her brothers, Earl, died in World War II. Her eldest sister, Lillian, passed away last year. Regina’s surviving siblings; Kathleen, Dorothy and Donald live near where they grew up in Pennsylvania.
The second stage of her life was her married life with George Hetzel in her neighborhood of Casey Highlands. This was also in Bucks County, PA, and as the name implies, this was a community developed by her Uncle Earl. Earl developed much of the farmland owned by the Casey’s as the Philadelphia suburbs pushed to Bucks County. Regina lived next door to her parents and brother, Don, for many years. This allowed her to help her parents as they grew older and allowed her two sons, Stephen and Glenn, the good fortune of visiting their grandparents, often. Casey Highlands was, and still is, a wonderful neighborhood. It was a welcoming community where neighbors were friends, kids played together every day, and people watched out for each other.
Regina was a very social person. And with her neighborhood friends, sisters and brother, and nieces and nephews from both sides of the family nearby, there were many social occasions to enjoy.
Regina was always looking to help someone in the neighborhood. For example, when an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Hemerly, couldn’t drive, Regina would pick her up and take her to church for years. Regina began to visit Mrs. Hemerly, daily, as she became less able to meet her household needs.
For fun, when her children were younger, the family would take long driving trips throughout the United States, with George doing the driving. The biggest was the trip out West which covered Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Badlands, Pikes Peak, San Francisco and Disneyland in California. That’s before Disneyworld in Orlando was built! The trip was about four weeks and gave her children an understanding and appreciation what we have in America.
Once the kids were out of the house, Regina and George took some great cruises including Alaska and the Panama Canal.
The third stage of Regina’s life was her life in Florida. George’s passing was hard on Regina, but after several years, she made the move to Boca Raton, Florida. Regina remained independent, living in her condo, driving and taking care of her needs.
She made great friends, here, mainly centered around Ascension Church, where she attended daily Mass. She also made wonderful friends in her condo community. Seeing her kindness, humility and generosity, people enjoyed being around Regina and she led an active social life.
Moving to Florida also brought her closer to her sons. Her son Stephen lives in Dunedin, near Tampa on the west coast of Florida. She was able to visit him several times a year for extended trips where they would always have a variety of things to see and do.
Her son, Glenn, his wife Nancy and their daughter, Julia, lived just five blocks away from her condo. This allowed frequent visits and fun with her granddaughter, as well, as family get-togethers for birthday and holidays. Her sister Dot, and great brother-in-law, Jim were able to visit her there, too. Nancy’s parents, Elmer and Irma, her sister, Susan, and nieces, Stephanie and Mia live near-by and were very good friends to Regina, welcoming her to many occasions at Susan’s home.
Regina’s stroke on October 7, 2011, was very hard on her since it severely restricted her ability to speak. She spent several months in a rehabilitation facility. However, many visits from good friends really cheered her up. She also received daily calls from her sister Dot and son, Steve, which were always welcomed. Nancy visited her each morning and Glenn visited at night.
Regina’s passing was much quicker than expected; however, she was able to return to her home during the last days of her life. This allowed her to be in a familiar environment, see friends and have her family with her. We were thankful that it could be this way for her after all she had done for us.
Thank you, Regina, for all you’ve done. Continue to help us from above. Enjoy your reward in Heaven.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, March 9th at 11:00am at Ascension Catholic Church in Boca Raton.
A graveside service is scheduled of Saturday, March 17th at 11:30 am at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery in Somerton, Pennsylvania.
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