Geraldine A. Toland Regan ’75

Gerri died of cancer in Burlington, N.J., on May 5, 2025, her 70th birthday. Born in Philadelphia, she attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls before her parents moved to Willingboro, N.J., where she graduated from John F. Kennedy High School. At Princeton, she earned her A.B. degree in geology. She went on to work for the Department of Environmental Services in Boston and for Polaroid and Ohio Bell in Cleveland, before transferring in 1991 to New Jersey with AT&T, from which she retired in 2005.

After retirement Gerri earned a certificate in gerontology from Rutgers University and a degree in nursing from Rowan University. She put both to good use in her positions as the administrator of The Home for Aged Women in the City of Burlington and as a registered nurse at the Masonic Village Nursing Home in Burlington Township. She loved the City of Burlington and served on the board of the Friendly Institution of Burlington for 17 years.

When Gerri was very young, her only ambitions were to have a nice husband and to help her family. There is no doubt that she accomplished both. She said that her life was made sublime by her husband, Jim Regan, who was ‘intelligent, witty, kind, romantic, and fiercely loyal,” making her laugh and showing her he loved her every day of their 26 years together. In addition, her life was greatly enriched by her love of antiques, classical music, classic R&B, the Beatles, Gilbert & Sullivan, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Dickens, Premier League Football, Grand Slam Tennis, PBS, the Third Sunday Book Club, and trips to Seaside Heights, France, Italy, England, Wales, and Scotland, her late husband’s birthplace.

Gerri was preceded in death by her parents, Alvin and Fumiko Toland; her husband, James Regan; and many pets. She will be greatly missed by her loving family: Selina Waugh, Lois and Larry Bunch, Russel and Gail Toland, and her beloved nieces and nephews. Among the many friends who mourn her are her senior-year roommates, Carmen Plaza de Jennings ‘75, Robin McKinney Martin ’75, and Marcia Gonzales-Kimbrough ’75; and extra-special friends Gail McKenzie Johnson ’75, Michael Harris ’75, Gregory Jacobs ’74, Carl Barclay ’73, and Dolores Chavez de Daigle ’76.

A private memorial service was planned to celebrate the life of this beloved classmate and devoted daughter, wife, sister, aunt, and friend. Her ashes will be committed with those of her husband.