Ronald D. Regan

Ron lived life at full throttle — pilot, balloonist, restaurateur, and perpetual adventure seeker who never met a "no" he couldn't talk his way around. He filled every room with a compliment, a pun, and a story, and spent his last years on the road with Betsy, chasing national parks and winters in Arizona.

Ron was a lifelong resident of Kansas City, attending St. Ann Catholic School and Bishop Miege High School, graduating in 1963. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Michigan State University in 1967, and was a proud member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, where he made many lifelong friends. He went on to earn an MBA from Northwestern University in 1969.

Ron inherited an entrepreneurial spirit from his father. Over the years, Ron owned and operated four restaurants — Westport One, Whisker Rivey's, Sunset Grill, and MT Bullheads. He also helped to open a slope-side restaurant and bar “The Last Lift” in Keystone, Colorado, marrying his love of the mountains and hospitality. He was honored to serve as President of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association in 1984 and the Missouri Restaurant Association in 1993. The annual MRA Inaugural Ball was a cherished event for Ron to attend with his parents and his family through the years. Ron also spent time working in hospitality in Honolulu, and in San Diego for Ralston Purina early in his career.

He earned his private pilot's license in 1967 and turned to ballooning in 1973 as a commercial hot air balloon pilot. He co-founded Balloon Fantasies Ltd., selling flights and balloons and training new pilots. He cherished his many flights at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

If it had a motor or wings, Ron probably owned one. Through the years, he owned motorcycles (namely, his beloved Harley-Davidsons), airplanes, hot air balloons and his famously fun “Couple of Pops” cruiser at the Lake of the Ozarks. He was also an avid cyclist, riding in the MS 150, and was an enthusiastic skier and adventurer who was no stranger to an emergency room.

Ron’s beloved daughters, Natalie and Brianna, were the light of his life. The girls’ childhood was consistently filled with adventure, and he loved attending their sports and activities. Ron became a great friend to the girls in their adulthood and loved and adored their spouses and his grandchildren.

Ron married Betsy in 2009, and the two of them spent the majority of the last 17 years traveling the country together in their fifth-wheel camper, visiting 45 states, provinces in Canada and countless national parks. Ask him what his favorite part was, and he'd tell you, "Getting on the road!" For the last 11 winters, they made a home base in Arizona among a tight-knit community of friends and family, filling their days with pickleball, the lapidary, woodworking, hiking, and nightly entertainment.

Ron had a way with words. He could ad-lib a toast, turn a phrase into a poem, or find a play on words in just about anything. He was quick with a compliment, too — if you had a nice smile, Ron told you so, whether he'd known you for years or thirty seconds. He was an astronomer in training and loved sharing the fact that there are more stars in the galaxies than grains of sand on all the world's beaches combined. Every year since 2010, he has designed the family Christmas card collage. If you heard him say, "This is going on the Christmas card!" at any point during the year, he meant it. No holiday family gathering was complete without his famous Flaming Coffees. A dice cup and deck of cards were rarely far from his hands.

Ron was a lifelong Chiefs fan and in his earlier years hosted many elaborate tailgates. Ron never let school get in the way of a good parade and didn’t hesitate to pull his daughters out of grade school for the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Westport, a tradition that's still a core memory for his family. Ron loved an ornery Irish song and found appreciation in a traditional corned beef sandwich with plenty of sauerkraut. Ron often lived by the principle that it is better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission - something that he somehow managed so effortlessly.

Ron's charisma and genuineness drew people to him wherever he went. He made everyone feel like they mattered, and he will be deeply missed by all who were lucky enough to know him. Here's to soft landings, Ron.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Madeleine Regan; and brother, Jimmy Regan. He is survived by his wife, Betsy; his daughters, Natalie (Ariel) Regan, and Brianna (Adam) Kaleikau and their mother, Margy Regan; Alycia (Leslie) Degen, Nate (Lauren) Degen; his brother, Gary (Judy) Regan; sister, Julie (David) Busch and 11 grandchildren who loved their “Poppo”, and many nieces and nephews.

A Rosary will be prayed at Visitation Catholic Church, 5141 Main Street, Kansas City, MO on Thursday, October 8th at 3:45 pm, with a visitation to follow from 4-6 pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at Visitation Catholic Church on Friday, October 9th at 10:00 am, with the burial immediately following at Resurrection Cemetery, 5001 NE Cookingham Drive, Kansas City, MO.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the ALS Association at www.als.org or may be mailed to the following address: St. Paul Donor Services, 1919 University Avenue W., Suite 175, St. Paul, MN 55104.