Patrick Pearse O’Regan Jr.

ROCKLAND – Patrick Pearse O’Regan, Jr., died in his home in Rockland, on Aug. 11, 2024, at the age of 80.

Born in New York City, the eldest of six children of Patrick and Theresa (Reid) O’Regan, Patrick and his family lived in Parkchester, a neighborhood in the Bronx, from infancy to the end of high school. He attended St. Helena’s School and Manhattan Prep.

He joined the Army and was a paratrooper in the 509th airborne division from 1962-1965, traveling abroad and working as an instructor aide in an Army GED class, informing his future as an educator. He returned to his family in 1965, who had at that time relocated to southern Maine. Patrick attended the University of Maine, Portland, graduating in 1969 with a bachelor’s in Political Science, where he embraced political activism and fervently opposed the Vietnam War.

In the late 1960s, Patrick began what would become a lifelong career in public service, working with the Portland Model Cities program. From 1970-’74 he worked as the Adult Literacy Program Director at the University of Southern Maine, and attended their graduate program to receive his M.S. in Adult Education from 1976-1981. A pioneer in the field, Patrick received Maine’s first Adult Education teaching certification in 1981. That same year, he married his partner, Benji, and together they welcomed their daughter, Maeve, into the world.

In the 25 years that followed, Patrick worked as an award-winning Director of Adult Education programs in Augusta, MSAD 75 and Merrymeeting Bay, MSAD 6, and as a college transitions consultant for the Maine Development Foundation. After retirement, Patrick volunteered as a literacy tutor with Tri County Literacy in Bath.

In addition to his family, Patrick loved the ocean, and he loved cars. On the weekends he liked to participate in rally races and autocross, and worked endlessly to improve whatever car he owned. He showed his love for his family by way of near-constant automotive vigilance. He also shared with his daughter a love for language, cooking, and music.

Patrick was cared for in his final years by Benji, in their home in Rockland, where he was visited regularly by his daughter, son-in-law, Jeff, and adoring grandson, Ames. He succumbed to complications due to Parkinson’s disease.

He is survived by all of his siblings Brian, Virginia, Eileen, Moira, and Robert; their spouses and children.

His ashes will be scattered at sea by his family this summer.

Memory weighed heavy on Patrick’s Irish Catholic soul, and remembrance of any kind often brought tears to his eyes. In this way, sharing stories of the past was challenging, and even the fondest memories were delivered incomplete.

If you have a memory of Patrick you’d like to share, please send it to his daughter, Maeve, at P.O. Box 28 in Tenants Harbor. She welcomes the opportunity to hear from people whose lives Patrick touched.