BLOOMINGTON – Gladys Evans Regan, 82, of Bloomington, died peacefully Monday, July 31, 2023, at Majestic Care of Bloomington, surrounded by her loving family.
Gladys was born October 29, 1940 in Campbellsburg, IN, the sixth of nine children born to the late Roy Moss Evans and Martha “Ellen” Temple Evans, well-known farmers in Washington and Orange Counties.
Gladys was a 1958 graduate of Orleans High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education in 1962 from Ball State University and a Master’s Degree in Special Education in 1966 from University of Michigan. As a pioneer in special education, Gladys was a respected educator, earning special education certifications in Indiana, Michigan, Colorado, Hawaii and California. She established the first special education program for Pearl Harbor Elementary School, Hawaii. Gladys retired in 2001 as the Principal of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Elementary School in Pacifica, California. Her students and staff wore t-shirts printed “You’re our pot of gold, Mrs. Regan.” Gladys’s varied interests included photography, traveling in her green van, exploring national parks, and boating. A self-taught artist, her passion was painting and expressing the beauty of her experiences through pencils and oils on canvas.
In addition to her parents, Gladys was preceded in death by five brothers, Harley Haskel, Gerald Lester (Rosalind), Dan Leland (Shirley), Cletis Ray (Rebecca), and Larry Alois (Linda); and three sisters Ethel Grace Evans, Edna Juanita (John) Bagley, and Carol Faye (Thomas) Erwin.
Surviving Gladys are her loving son Jason Roy Regan (Madonna), Redwood City, CA, and daughter Jennifer Marie Solari, Bloomington, IN, both of whom dedicated themselves to their mother’s care and comfort in her last years. Also surviving are her Regan grandchildren Sky Christian, Los Angeles, CA; and Dakota King, San Francisco, CA; Canyon Evans, Millbrae, CA; and Sedona Rain, of New York City, NY; and her Solari grandchildren Amberly Grace, Steven William, and Shawn Marley all of Bloomington, IN; three sisters-in-law Shirley Lou Wilcox Evans (Dan) Kielhorn (Bud) and Rebecca Mae Parish (Cletis) Evans of Orleans, IN, and Linda Cox (Larry) Evans of Paoli, IN; cousin Betty Martin Jackson of Andover, MN; and eighteen nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial contributions be made to My Sister’s Closet, 414 S College Ave, Bloomington, IN 47403; Franklin Delano Roosevelt K-8 Parent-Teacher Assoc, 1200 Skyline Drive, Daly City, CA 94015; or Monroe County Special Olympics, 6180 N Bottom Rd, Bloomington, IN 47404.
Cremation has been chosen with graveside service 10:00 a.m., Saturday, September 2 at Fairview Cemetery in Orleans with Rev. (Ret) Charles “Bud” Kielhorn officiating. A Memorial Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, at Spring Mill State Park, Red Cross Shelter, in Mitchell.
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