Doug Regier
Douglas Wesley Regier, 49, died Feb. 28, 2004, at Newton Medical Center.
Born Sept. 30, 1954, at Goessel, he was the son of H. Wesley and Evelyn Regier.
The love of farm life was instilled in him at a young age growing up on the family farm south of Marion. As a young boy he liked playing in the dirt and as he grew older he enjoyed working on the farm with his father.
He was active in FFA in high school, serving as an officer and achieving his goal of State Farmer Degree.
He graduated from Marion High School in 1972 and attended Wichita Automotive and Body School, graduating in 1973.
On May 21, 1977, he married his wife, Debbie at Marion Christian Church. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in 2002.
He had a love of "muscle cars" and the family enjoyed going to car shows, both locally and around the state. He also enjoyed collecting die-cast cars.
Doug was active in Farm Bureau, serving as a board member and county president for two terms. He took part in the 1993 presidents' Washington, D.C., trip to talk with various congressmen about farm issues. In 1997 the family received the "Farm Bureau Farm Family of the Year" Award.
The Regiers purchased their farm in 1981. Doug held several jobs to maintain his dream of being a farmer. Most recently he worked from 1987 to 2003 at Deer Trail Implement, Marion.
In May 1997, he was diagnosed with kidney cancer. After surgery to remove his kidney, he continued to work and farm.
Survivors include his wife, Debbie; two sons, Matt and Joey; two daughters, Sarah and Bethany; his parents, Wes and Evelyn Regier; sister, Karleen Vogt; brother-in-law, Mike Ratzloff; sisters-in-law, Laurie Creamer, Jamie Hopkins, and Sharon Terrel; mother-in-law, Bonnie Ratzloff; and a host of uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends.
A memorial service was held Tuesday morning preceded by burial at Ebenfeld Cemetery. The Rev. Bruce Porter officiated at the service.
Casket bearers were Gary Duerksen, Blair Tharp, Mike Thomas, Mark Tajchman, Dan Holub, and Daryl Enos.
Memorial funds have been established with Hillsboro MB Church or Marion-Florence FFA.
