‘A hero to so many people’: Longtime St. Charles resident remembered for his generosity

Edward Regole, 90, longtime St. Charles resident, died Monday in his home.

When Edward Regole celebrated his 90th birthday in June, Marmion Academy officials dropped by his St. Charles home to give him a letterman jacket.

The look on his face is something Kathleen Hausmann, executive director of advancement for Marmion Academy, will not soon forget.

“It was absolutely one of the most touching moments of my time at Marmion,” Hausman recalled Wednesday.

Regole, a generous benefactor at Marmion Academy, died Monday in his home. Funeral services for the longtime St. Charles resident and farmer will be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Neuman Catholic Church, 2900 E. Main St., St. Charles.

Regole, whose family owned much of the farmland on St. Charles’ east side, graduated from Marmion Academy in 1950 and served in the U.S. Navy from 1955 to 1958. He founded Regole’s Harvest Shoppe on Kirk Road in St. Charles in 1963. The business bore the family name until it became Trellis Farm and Garden in 2009.

Much of the Regole farmland now houses apartments, stores and other developments on the city’s east side. Regole and his sister, Vi, donated farmland to help underwrite various projects at Marmion Academy.

Three facilities at the school bear the Regole name: the field house, natatorium and science building. Regole and his sister donated to the school in honor of their families and in memory of their parents, Gertrude and Maurice Regole Sr., who donated land to St. John Neuman Catholic Church.

“He did a lot to honor the people who came before him and make sure they were always remembered,” former St. Charles Mayor Sue Klinkhamer recalled.

His support of Marmion Academy is “embedded in the fabric” of the campus, Hausmann added.

“His generous support through the years allowed us to make multiple and very impactful enhancements to our campus and facilities,” she said. “He was a hero to so many people in his life; Marmion included.

“He was such a dear man,” she added. “He’s going to be so missed.”

Regole is survived by two sons, two sisters, a grandson and several nieces and nephews. Contributions may be made to St. John Neuman Catholic Church or Marmion Academy in Regole’s memory.