Phyllis M. Regan, 97, of Madison, passed away at home on August 19. She was born in Davenport, Iowa on September 27, 1918, the eldest daughter of Edmund S. Male and Doris (Wooley) Male. The family was originally from New Haven and they returned there when Phyllis was an infant. She attended Putnam Avenue Elementary, Hillhouse High School ('34,) and Larson Junior College (now Quinnipiac University,) class of 1936.

After college, Phyllis worked as a private secretary until she married Michael T. Regan of New Haven in 1941 and took a break from secretarial tasks in order to begin her second career-- being a mother to their four children. The family moved several times, residing in Ohio for many years, then Woodstock, Vermont, before returning "home" to the Connecticut shoreline in 1978. During that time, Phyllis helped with Girl Scouts, worked on church committees, tutored inner-city children in Cincinnati, performed in community theater, and provided vigorous poolside cheering for each of her children's swim meets. When the last of her brood safely entered high school, Phyllis returned to secretarial work for a number of years before retiring in 1983. After that she filled her time with things she loved—reading, yardwork, singing, swimming (preferably in L. I. Sound,) playing bridge, attending theater events, line-dancing, traveling, and, most especially, enjoying her grandchildren.

Active in the church wherever she lived, Phyllis was a member of many choirs, most notably at the Madison Congregational Church, where she provided staunch tenor support for over 30 years. She also kept busy serving her community-- delivering Meals on Wheels, transporting donated goods to Christian Community Action in New Haven, and driving for Madison Community Services, which she stopped doing only after being sidelined by a stroke at age 91.

Phyllis is survived by two daughters, Pamela Regan (Rye, NH) and Judith Regan Cohn (Newport, RI); two sons, Kenneth Regan (Killingworth, CT) and David Regan (South Hadley, MA); daughter-in-law Betsy Welling Regan; sons-in-law Arthur Tuttle, William Rose, and John Cohn; grandchildren Brian Cohn, Lindsay Cohn, Abby Owen, Kyle Regan, Cameron Regan Slaby, Johanna Regan, and step-granddaughter, Amelia Tuttle; great-grandchildren Anne Cohn, Jackson Cohn and Lily Owen, as well as many nieces and nephews. (Over the years, Phyllis also acquired quite few people who regarded her as a surrogate parent or grandparent.) She was pre-deceased by her husband, Michael, a son, Bruce, who died in infancy, and her two beloved sisters, Barbara Male Sargent and Janice Male Stoughton.

A Celebration of Life for Phyllis will be held at First Congregational Church of Madison, CT on Saturday, October 1, 2016, at 1:00 in the afternoon. To sign the online guestbook please visit hawleylincolnmemorial.com.