John Sam Regas

Dad was born October 5, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois to Sam and Agnes Manglaris Regas. His sister Sia came along 5 years later, and they were blessed with a very close relationship. He was the best big brother she could ever ask for or have. If she ever needed advice, Dad was there. He was someone she could trust completely, someone to celebrate with and cry with – someone to share anything with. Dad’s favorite memories of childhood were of going to his grandparent’s family resort on the St. Joe’s river in Michigan and sitting in the cherry trees eating cherries.

He met Mom, Demetra Strompolos when he was 17, Mom was 16. They married in 1964. In the early years of their marriage he worked at a sheet metal company and then he owned and ran the Elk Grove Bowl grill and DeLaine’s. His love of good food and passion for cooking was always present. Dad and Mom had the three of us – Terry, Coco and Matt. Dad was a traditional family man in the sense of providing a great life for us, always working hard and throwing big family parties. Ours was a house that was always open to friends, family and strangers. Dad loved people. Most important to him in this life was family.

He worked for years at Mary Ann Bakery and then at The Chicago Fish House. Dad and Mom divorced in 1994 but remained close, promising each other to keep a friendship for the three of us. He retired from the Fish House in 1995.

Dad moved to Waterloo, Iowa in 1996, always a place he loved to visit because of the country feel and more importantly, the Gartelos family. Uncle Pete and Aunt Karen were a second family for all of us - he was blessed with a great friendship with Uncle Pete.

Shortly after he arrived in Iowa he met Linda Matthias and using his John Regas charm, he convinced her he was a concert pianist and they married April 17, 1999. Have you seen his hands? No one had hands as big as Dad. A most important four legged friend came into his life in 1997. Buck joined the Regas family and became Dad’s best friend; he was the one person in the family who could do no wrong. He was truly heart broken when Buck left this world in 2010.

Dad had a special relationship with his sister’s daughters, Michele, Jen and Patty. He treated them as his own and was very proud of the people they became.

Dad was blessed to gain two stepdaughters, Erin and April and many nieces and nephews. He enjoyed creating a home with Linda to support and love them all.

Dad was blessed with eight grandchildren. His namesake, John Cooper, Alexa, Oliver and Lilly. As well as four from his stepdaughters Clayton, Adrian, James, and John Michael. Papou showered his grandchildren with love and silliness. His favorite thing to do was to build a fire in the fire pit and tell stories. He lived for the time he spent with each of them – that’s what his life was about - family and time together.

Friends and time with the guys was a top priority in Dad’s life. He met his lifelong buddy, Charlie Lampros when he was a young boy and they had years of getting into trouble together which continued on up until his death. Fishing and hunting trips were plentiful over the years and later Terry, Matt, Jim and Chris joined their Dads. These trips meant the world to Dad.

Dad was a lover of food, cooking and eating. His passion for life, good food and family was contagious. He was also a lover of history and an intellectual in the truest sense of the word. He had a special way of making family out of friends and strangers. His legacy will live on through the family, friends and everyone that knew him.