Cornelius Henry Regan

CORNELIUS HENRY REGAN,
Beloved Husband, Father, and Wonderful Grandfather, age 72, passed away unexpectedly Monday, March 7, 2022.
Neal is survived by his wife, Sherry Sublett Regan; son Todd Oakey; daughter-by-love, Heidi Lawson; three grandchildren, Madison, Avery, Gage; two nieces Erin Wilson Llerena (Louis) and Holly Wilson Robbins (George); and two grandnieces, Kennedy and Sydney, and one grandnephew, Logan.
Neal was born on October 23, 1949 in Queens, New York to Cornelius Henry Regan, Sr. and Irene Newburg Regan. He attended DePaul Catholic High School and Graduated Class of 1967. Neal studied at Rockland Community College for 2 years and determined to enlist with the United States Marines Corp in September 1969. Neal proudly served his Country and fought alongside his brothers and countrymen in the Vietnam War. During his time of service, he received numerous medals and badges to include Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnamese Service Medal, Vietnamese Campaign Medal and the Meritorious Mast.
Upon completion of his honorable service to his country Neal began his private sector career in Long Island, NY working for Grumman Aerospace for well over 30 years. While working with Grumman, Neal accepted a transfer to Virginia Beach, Va. where he met and fell in love with Sherry Sublett. They married on New Year's Eve of 1981 and loved and laughed for 40 years. It was during this time that Neal also met Sherry's 8-year-old son, Todd Oakey. Almost immediately these two bonded as Neal did not hesitate to treat Todd as if he were his own. When describing Neal, Todd has referenced the song "He didn't have to be" by Brad Paisley. If you haven't heard it, you should listen to it No truer words can be spoken about the man Neal Regan was.
After 39 years, Neal retired from the aerospace industry so that he could pursue his true calling as the Ultimate Grandfather, affectionately known as Big Papa. He adored his grandchildren and was quick to spend his weekends playing with Gage, watching Avery play softball, and bragging about Madison's career path in the Air Force. After watching Neal with Todd, we knew he would be the perfect Grandfather Boy were we wrong. He was the Ultimate Grandfather!!!
Never idle, Neal's later years were filled with dinners with Sherry and their good friends and working on projects for her and his family. Oh yeah, did we say he was an awesome Grandfather? As we had already mentioned, the remainder of his time was focused solely on his grandkids.
Neal's legacy and deep love of family will continue to be honored as his sudden departure will remain a constant reminder that we will always appreciate and value our times spent together.
Rest easy Marine your family will take it from here.
A celebration of life will be held in this good man's honor. The date for this event will be decided and announced by the family at a later time. https://www.facebook.com/neal.regan
"In lieu of floral contributions, the family asks that you simply hug your loved ones and appreciate every moment together."