1.1A Senate resolution
1.2honoring the life and legacy of Donald Regan.
1.3WHEREAS, Donald "Don" Regan was born on June 19, 1929, in Le Roy, Minnesota, to his
1.4loving parents Will and Agnes and grew up in the austerity of the Great Depression. In the aftermath
1.5of the untimely death of his father, Don began work shoveling coal from railroad boxcars at the
1.6age of 12 to help provide for his six siblings and widowed mother. Don's steadfast work ethic was
1.7one of his most prominent traits, as he remained in the workforce for the following 79 years; and
1.8WHEREAS, following Don's high school graduation in 1947, he started college at St. Mary's
1.9University of Minnesota in Waconia, where his academic excellence earned him a transfer to the
1.10prestigious University of Notre Dame. Homesickness and financial strain brought Don back home
1.11after one semester and he began a new career as the youngest Ford dealer in the nation at the age
1.12of 21; and
1.13WHEREAS, he met his wife, Jean Joyce, after stopping to attend mass while working his
1.14weekend rural newspaper route. He was immediately captivated and, after he enlisted in and
1.15completed an active duty deployment with the United States Army Rangers, the two were married
1.16on June 18, 1955. Together, they had seven children and a romance that spanned more than six
1.17decades until Jean's death in 2018. Such was Don's devotion to Jean that he visited her daily at her
1.18resting place to pray; and
1.19WHEREAS, Don was a voracious community builder through the 1960s, 70s, and beyond.
1.20He founded a number of bus companies, a golf club, and a bank before shifting focus entirely to
1.21the banking industry, eventually expanding from an operation in a double wide trailer to what would
1.22become Premier Bank, which has expanded to include almost two dozen branches throughout the
1.23state; and
1.24WHEREAS, Don passed away peacefully on October 23, 2020, surrounded by his adoring
1.25family, which has grown to include 26 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and countless other
1.26friends and relatives. Don was a beloved member of many communities and took great pride in his
1.27faith, his work, his Irish roots, and his family; and
1.28NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota that it
1.29commemorates the life and innumerable accomplishments of Donald Regan and extends its deepest
1.30condolences to all those whose lives he touched.
1.31BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is directed to prepare an
1.32enrolled copy of this resolution, to be authenticated by the Secretary's signature and that of the
1.33Chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, and transmit it to the family of Donald
1.34Regan.

Cal R. LudemanSecretary of the Senate

Paul E. GazelkaChair, Senate Committee onRules and Administration

Charles W. WigerState Senator, District 43