Al and Billie Reger, stationed in Hawaii during World War 2

The renowned NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw published a book in 1998 titled “The Greatest Generation”. He highlighted many people of the generation born in the 1920’s, their formation years mired in the Great Depression, their late teens and 20’s spent defending their country in WW II, and post-war giving the world the “baby-boomers”, building the suburban life, and leading the country to economic heights never experienced in the history of the world.

When I began writing this blog, I gave myself a few rules to follow. One was to not write about individuals I have known and served over the years, because I could write about individuals in every article. I did give myself a lee-way to write about individuals when their life-story demonstrates perfectly what an era or generation was all about. My first self-excused rule bender is to tell the story of Al and Billie Reger, who both died in the past few months after a 70 year marriage.

Mary Lorraine Burke was born in 1921 in New Hampton, Iowa into a very Irish family. Her father nicknamed her “Billie” for the actress Billie Burke, who starred in many Hollywood productions, famously as Glinda the Good Witch in “The Wizard of Oz”. The Iowa Billie Burke left the family home for the Loyola University School of Nursing in Chicago. When World War II broke out, Billie enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the Hawaiian Islands as a Lt. JG and registered nurse.

Alfred C. Reger was born in Minneapolis in 1920 on the north side. He attended Ascension School and went on to be a sports star and president for the Class of ’38. He was one of 8 children in a family with a disabled father, so Al contributed to the family coffers by selling homemade donuts door-to-door in the 1st grade. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the start of WWII and served as a Lieutenant J.G., pilot, and flight instructor in the Hawaiian Islands.

If you are connecting the dots, you know where this is leading. While leaving morning Mass during Lent on base, Al and Billie met in what Al described as a “Hollywood movie romance.” The Island had 250, 000 servicemen and 5 female Navy nurses. Their romance blossomed during walks in the sand, jeep rides and acrobatic rides in Al’s 2 seater plane. Following the war, Billie moved to Minneapolis where she became the Maternity Ward Supervisor at St. Mary’s Hospital. They were married in 1949.

Billie and Al settled on the Robbinsdale side of Victory Memorial Parkway where they began a family. Billie gave birth to daughter Kathleen and sons John, Jim, Jerry and Kevin in the 50’s. Billie dedicated her life to her children while the entrepreneurial spirit continued to blossom in Al, who went on to become the president of the C.J. Duffey Paper Company.

The Reger sons inherited their father’s genes when it came to sports. They all excelled at Benilde High School, mostly in basketball. The greatest cheerleader in the stands? Billie Reger, not just for her sons but for the Benilde teams. She was active in the Mother’s Club, the then all-boys school version of the parent-teacher association. She could call us all by name, knew who we belonged to, and was a very pleasant force around the school. Always in a great and gregarious mood, you felt good about yourself and your school when you finished an encounter with Mrs. Reger.

The late 60’s were a very disruptive time for Catholic education, and Benilde was no exception. The school was started by the Christian Brothers as a “mission” of De La Salle in Minneapolis. The Christian Brothers decided to leave Benilde after the 1970 school year. In the middle of the winter we received the news that there would be no “Class of 71” from Benilde High School.

A committee of four Benilde fathers, led by Al Reger, took on the task of saving the school. They secured a meeting with Archbishop Binz to plead the case on why Benilde should remain. The Archbishop informed them that if they could find a religious order to replace the Christian Brothers, he would allow the school to continue.

I was not at that meeting, but to this day I can see a vision of how it played out. Al Reger, always calm and forever the epitome of a gentleman, standing up and thanking the Archbishop for the opportunity to find a way. The challenge would be accepted, dealt with, and achieved. There would be no complaint from Al that the task was daunting, only resolution to find the solution. In the fall of 1971, the Benedictine Monks of St. John’s Abbey staffed Benilde High School. It was the beginning of the merger with St. Margaret’s and the result continues with the very strong combined school. Each year, the Al Reger Award is presented to a worthy graduate.

Al and Billie lived long, happy and prosperous lives. They continued to be involved in the community to their very last years. They were lifelong friends of my parents, Al and my mother at Ascension School, Bob Delmore and Al together at De La Salle, and ironically enough, Pharmacist Mate Bob and Nurse Billie stationed together in Hawaii. The weekend that my father was dying, 10 months after my mom, the last non-family to sit at his bedside were Billie and Al.

At age 98, on January 23rd of this year, Billie died peacefully with her husband and children at her side. When I arrived to call for her, 99 year old Al correctly chronicled how far back the Reger and Delmore families went. He had it all right- years, names and all. He even stated to all of us around Billie’s bed that each family had lost an adult son; his son Jim and my brother Paul. True to their generation, all four of them met that great sadness with grace and faith.

Al wanted to be sure that Billie received the military honors she deserved at Ft. Snelling. On a cold January day, the dignified Al Reger was in a wheel chair to receive the folded flag. The same calm that was his character was evident as he gratefully acknowledged the presenter. The man I always said was one of the finest individuals I have been privileged to know looked frail that day, but he still had presence.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created some less than satisfying moments. Three months later we were back at Ascension Church for Al’s funeral Mass. There were 7 family members, two musicians, two funeral directors and a priest. I began that day thinking how unfair that this WW II Pilot, extraordinary citizen, father, grandfather and devout Christian had no one there to honor him.

Fr. Dale Korogi, pastor of Ascension parish, put it all in perspective as he blessed Al’s casket reminding us that it was in that very church 99 years ago that his parents brought Al to be baptized. Fr. Dale said the parish was only 31 years old when Al received his Baptismal promises. He told us to think of all that Al had accomplished in those years, how good he had been to the church, both in prayer and philanthropy. It was complete and had come full circle. Just his family brought him for his Baptism, and now just his family brought him to be gifted back to God.

In about two weeks we will commemorate Memorial Day. For all of us baby boomers, it will be a chance to reflect and remember the sacrifices our parents made for us personally, for our country and our freedoms. With each passing Memorial Day, the “Greatest Generation” is fewer in number, and soon they will be but a memory.

You likely have a Billie and Al story in your family or in your hometown. If they are still living, have them share a story of their life with you. If they are gone, be sure to tell your children or grandchildren how that member of “The Greatest Generation” left this world a better place.