Willis Regier
November 8, 1919 – June 14, 2022
Willis Regier entered his final rest after a lifetime of achievement, perseverance, and grace.
Born in Henderson, NE to John and Lela Regier, he grew up with siblings Myrtle and Don in Hastings, Ne, during the Great Depression. He met Frances Goth at the University of Nebraska and they married in Lincoln. After their first child, Diane, was born, Will served in World War II in Europe, He was a Sergeant of Artillery in the third Army under General Patton and participated in the Battle of the Bulge.
He and Fran moved their small family to Bellevue, NE, and he built a successful architectural practice in Omaha. His firm designed churches, schools, banks, homes, and meat packing plants across the U. S. He later worked at the Army Corps of Engineers and was proud to work to age 71.
Willis was a longtime member of Bellevue’s First Presbyterian Church, serving on all of its Boards including Trustees, Deacons, and Elders. He regularly attended the 100 year old church with his growing family until they moved with the congregation to the new church that he designed in the late 1950’s.Willis was a member of the Lion’s Club, won election to the Bellevue City Council, and for 16 years served on the city’s planning commission. He was a founding Director of the Board of Bellevue’s Habitat for Humanity. He was elected Treasurer and Vice President of the Nebraska Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and was the longest continually registered member,
Willis and Fran became Stephen Ministers and TeamMates, generously helping others. they both also donated their bodies to advance medical science at UNMC. Willis was locally famous for the two iconic homes he designed and built for his family and his lifetime support of Nebraska football.
The joy of his life was his wife of 73 years, Frances Goth Regier, who preceded him in death in 2013. He is survived by his brother, Don (Parkton, MD); daughters (Frances) Diane and Margot (Mrs. Gerald Cook), of Bellevue; twin sons, Willis G. (Carol) of Champaign, IL, and Philip J. (Janet) of Moorpark, CA; grandchildren: Eric (Elissa) Cook of Tulsa, OK, Roger Cook of Garfield, AR, and Aletheia Regier of Eureka, CA; great-granddaughter: Sarah-Catherine “Katie” Cook, Jeffrey (David) of Sapulpa, OK; and great-great-granddaughter, Paisley Jeffrey.
Celebration of Life on Saturday, August 10, Noon, at the First Presbyterian Church, 1220 Bellevue Blvd. South, Bellevue.
Inurnment: Saturday, August 10, 11:00 a.m., Bellevue Cemetery with Military Honors at the Bellevue Cemetery by the U. S. Army Honor Guard and American Legion Post 331.
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