Obituary of Donal Francis O'Regan

Donal Francis O'Regan was born on New Year's Day, 1922, in the charming city of Cork, Ireland. He was one of twelve children born to Daniel Patrick O'Regan and Agnes Fitzgibbon O'Regan. A devoted, beloved husband, dad, and "Daddad", Donal passed away on November 8, 2012 at Good Samaritan Hospital, San Jose. He was surrounded, comforted, and entertained by his large, loving family who kept vigil at his bedside while sharing poignant and humorous stories of his life, singing Irish songs he had taught them as children, and being together the way he always loved his family to be. Donal always said a man's wealth is measured by the love of his family, and thus considered himself to be a very wealthy man. Donal had a fierce loyalty and love of Ireland, and hoped to see a united Ireland in his lifetime. That was not to be, but his passion for his country, Irish history, the Gaelic language, Irish folklore, stories and songs, was enthusiastically shared and handed down to his children, grandchildren, and anyone else within earshot. As a young man, Donal met the love of his life, Sheila O'Dowd, through mutual friends. He loved telling the story of how he discovered she was "sweet on" him. They were on a group outing, and each had to tell whom they liked best. When Sheila said his name he couldn't believe his ears, never thinking he had a chance with her because she was "so cute". He wanted to provide her a wonderful life, but in the repressed economy of Ireland at the time, knew he could not do so in his home country. He ventured to Canada in l948 to earn enough money to marry her. After working as a lumberjack, camp medic, and miner, Donal returned and married his Sheila on October 16, 1952. They recently marked the 60th anniversary of their marriage. Donal and Sheila's first child, Don, was born in Cork. Because the economy still made it difficult to support a family, Donal once again left for Canada, sending for Sheila and Don when he was settled. Don celebrated his first birthday crossing the Atlantic on an ocean liner. Trudy was born in Toronto, after which the family made one last attempt to live in Ireland. Ultimately, Donal and Sheila made the difficult decision to leave their beloved Ireland for good, and immigrated to San Francisco, where Gerald, Paddy, Kennedy and Brian were born. When Donal opened his first Foreign Auto Parts store in San Jose, the family settled on Summit Road in Los Gatos, where the brood spent their formative growing up years at a mountain home where kids, dogs, and horses abounded. When most of the children were grown, Donal and Sheila moved "down the mountain" to Santa Cruz, where they lived overlooking the ocean at Lighthouse Point until moving to Saratoga Retirement Community in 2008. Donal was an active, loving dad, involved in many organizations that involved his children, including the Loma Prieta School Board, Los Gatos Little League, Summit Horseman's Association, Summit 4-H Club. He made a point of attending all his children's activities, quite a feat. He was an active member and frequent president of the Santa Cruz Irish Club. A gifted storyteller and fearless singer, he never turned down a microphone. Time limits or location didn't phase his enthusiasm to share a story, song or opinion. Granddaughter Bailey often recounts her surprise at hearing him singing over the public address system at a surf competition in Santa Cruz. She later realized there was no need to be surprised; that was just Daddad. Donal and Sheila adored spending time with their grandchildren as they grew up. He was a speaker at their elementary schools on St. Patrick's Day each year, bringing his charming Irish brogue, a few choice Gaelic phrases, and stories of St. Patrick and leprechauns to the lucky students. He held them in rapt attention when giving them the inside scoop on the best way to find a leprechaun (after a rain, near the end of a rainbow, in a place where you heard frogs, the '"watchdogs" of the leprechauns), the proper way to catch and hold him (don't hurt him, never lose eye contact) and most importantly, the secret password letting the leprechaun know you were a friend and thus worthy of sharing his pot of gold. Students were all sworn, under oath, to share 10% of the proceeds from the pot of gold with Mr. O'Regan if they found it. As Donal's St. Patrick's Day talks became well known, other schools in the Los Gatos, San Jose, and Santa Cruz areas requested his presence, and he quite happily obliged. Donal lived a fascinating life, filled with many chapters and stories. Those given the honor and privilege of calling him Dad, Daddad, Uncle, friend or acquaintance, knew what a gift and treasure he was. Everything he did, he did for his family. His greatest legacy is leaving behind a family that cherishes each other and its time spent together; including marathon cribbage tournaments, Donal's favorite game and a constant source of good-natured teasing. Donal leaves behind his beautiful wife, Sheila, for whom he did provide an excellent life. He was an adored father to his six children and their spouses: Don and Renee O'Regan of Soquel; Trudy and Pat Esrey of Los Gatos; Gerald and Diane O'Regan of Los Gatos; Paddy O'Regan and John Levy of Los Gatos, Kennedy and Andi Capoziello O'Regan of Palos Verdes Estates, and Brian and Dawn O'Regan of Santa Cruz. "Daddad" to 15 loving grandchildren, his moniker was created when oldest grandchild Kelly couldn't yet pronounce the letter "g" as a toddler. He rather liked Daddad instead of granddad, thinking it unique, and all 15 grandchildren affectionately referred to him thus. Kelly and Kerry Esrey; Ryan, Shauna and Siobhan Wynne; Bailey, Hana, and Emma O'Regan; Katie and Ali O'Regan; Devon and Adam O'Regan; and Max, Siena, and Tessa O'Regan, loved him deeply and cherished the time they had with him. Their bond will never be broken or his songs forgotten. Precious granddogs Kobi, Lavender, Lulu, Pippin, and Rocco will miss having him sneak food and treats from the dinner table. Additionally, Donal is survived by Sheila's sister and brother-in-law, Lily and Michael Dilloughery (Santa Cruz) and their children Paula, Eric and Michael and their families; and his late sister Cecelia Falvey's children: Ken, Brendan, and Jennifer (San Francisco and Folsom) and their families. Numerous other nieces and nephews survive in England and Ireland. He was predeceased by Kevin Dilloughery and Carol Dilloughery Whiteside. Donal's family is grateful to Dr. Kirk Zimmer and the dedicated staff at Saratoga Retirement Community who cared for him for nearly 5 years. They never wavered in their devotion, sense of humor and professionalism, or patience when repeatedly listening to Donal's stories and songs. They were even heard to join in on occasion. We also thank Good Samaritan Hospital and its nurses, assistants and staff who cared for and comforted our dad and us. We will always be grateful to them for the environment they created to allow us the beautiful last days we shared with him. A rosary will be said on Friday, November 23 at 5:30pm, and a celebration of life at a memorial Mass on Saturday, November 24, at 11:00 AM, both at Christ Child Church on Summit Road, Los Gatos. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Donal's name to your local animal shelter or rescue organization, or to the Friends of Lighthouse Field in Santa Cruz (folf.org/donate/).