He joined the Navy at the age of 18 just as World War II was ending & was stationed in Alaska, intercepting Japanese messages to obtain critical intelligence. Later he assisted in the Korean War & was stationed in Guam & Japan on peace time missions. His marriage to Bertha, who he called his girlfriend even after 50 years of marriage, was moved up a few weeks due to people leaving for the war. They had four children, Mary, Tom, David, and Barbara, and three grandchildren, Tony, Brittni and Kayla. In 2005, Regis was diagnosed with ALS & passed away in 2007.