Sarah Regan

Sarah Margaret Regan, Ph.D, 70, died Monday, July 15, 2013.Born Dec. 17, 1942, in Washington D.C., she was the loving daughter of attorneys William J. Regan and Margaret Caroline Henderson Regan, both of whom predeceased her.She is survived by her sister, Star-Beth Regan, of Chattanooga.After WWII, her family moved to Miller Beach, Gary, Ind., where Sarah attended St. Marys Grade School and William A. Wirt High School. Sarah continued her education and earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Marian College, Indiana, an M.A. in Communication, Indiana State University, Terra Haute, Ind. In 1996, she completed her Ph.D at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.Sarah distinguished herself as the first woman television director in Chicago commercial television at WGN, Channel 9. She then moved to Chattanooga where she worked as creative service manager in commercial production for WTVC, Channel 9. While working at Channel 9, she also served as an adjunct professor for University of Tennessee, Chattanooga and found that her true passion was in teaching. Upon earning her Ph.D, she accepted a full-time position as a professor in the Communications Department, UTC. She then spent a year teaching at the University of Maryland, Frostburg. However, she missed her southern roots and returned to assist her father in his declining years at Sewanee, Tenn. While there, she taught English and directed the musical, "Anything Goes", at Franklin County High School.Upon her fathers death, she accepted a position in the speech department of Louisiana Tech, Ruston. Her health steadily declined. Diagnosed with COPD, she could no longer stay in the Louisiana climate and moved with her sister, Star-Beth Regan, to the city she considered home, Chattanooga.Sarah will be remembered for her gentle, kind voice, her passion for excellence in teaching and her compassion for those in need. She often sought the intercession of St. Jude to aid her in her struggles and to aid others in need.Services will be conducted at St. Jude Catholic Church, 930 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN 37415 on Friday, July 19, with Father Charlie Burton officiating.Visitation will be from 10 a.m. followed by a memorial Mass at 11 a.m. Refreshments will be offered after Mass at St. Jude. Interment will proceed in University Cemetery, on the University of the South Campus, Sewanee, Tenn.In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to one of the following: St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Life Center, 810 Carey Ave., Ruston, LA 71270, St. Jude Catholic Church, 930 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN 37415, or Hospice of Chattanooga, www.hospiceofchattanooga.org/Visitation and a memorial service will be coordinated through Lane Funeral Home, 601 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN 37415, www.lanefh.com.