Regis Craig Stirling

Regis was born on February 5th, 1945 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania to parents William and Ruth Stirling. The family lived in Elizabeth, PA before moving to Fairless Hills, PA. He graduated from Bloomsburg College in 1967 and married Linda on August 10, 1968. Regis dedicated thirty-three years to teaching math to students at Lyme-Old Lyme High School. Regis was passionate about teaching and the transformative power of education. He fought against the restrictive and biased emphasis on standardized tests by donating thousands of hours to tutor student athletes from Senegal, Cameroon, Lithuania, Israel and across the USA enabling them to pursue secondary education and play Division I basketball at his beloved UCONN and beyond. Regis and Linda welcomed many of the students into their home like family and established lifelong connections.

Even after retiring from Lyme-Old Lyme in 2001, Regis continued teaching at the Lyme Art Academy. Regis and Linda also showed their support for the United States Coast Guard Academy by hosting several cadets in their home. His impact on his students went far beyond the classroom. He managed to convey math facts while imparting a far more important lesson, that every student mattered.

Regis loved music, from Elton John to Janis Joplin, and shared that love with any who would listen with him. An avid bird watcher, a passion he shared for over fifty years with Linda, he often made pilgrimages to Hawk Mountain in his home state of Pennsylvania to watch birds of prey migrate through the mountains. He enjoyed gardening and spent many hours cultivating compost piles at his former home in Old Lyme.

Regis is survived by his wife Linda, sons Brett (Kristin) and Cliff (Thais), and sister Marian Stirling as well as his grandchildren Craig, Victoria, and Skye.

Donations may be made in Regis' memory to Safe Futures, 16 Jay St., New London, CT 06320 or Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, 1700 Hawk Mountain Rd., Kempton, PA 19529.