Regina S. Donahue

Born Regina Loretta Strahan on December 10, 1928, to Matthew J. and Florence Wiedemer Strahan, she grew up in the Frankford section of Philadelphia and married Raymond F. Strecker, her high school sweetheart, in 1950. The couple raised three children and lived happily in Philadelphia, Bucks County, and Gladwyne, PA, until Ray’s death in 1984.

In 1992, Jean married Richard F. Donahue Jr. and had a second happy marriage before being widowed again in 1996.

In 2013, Jean moved to the independent living residences at Edgehill in Stamford, where she made many new friends who know her by her given name of Regina.

Nothing made Jean happier than being with her children and grandchildren as hostess, guest, or traveling companion at countless milestone events, holiday gatherings, and vacations throughout her life. Cherished memories include summers at the New Jersey beaches, and many domestic and international sightseeing adventures.

Jean’s hobby and intellectual passion was bridge. For decades she played competitively with the Philadelphia Country Club’s women’s bridge teams, attaining the rank of NABC Master in the American Contract Bridge League.

Jean’s first husband, Ray, died shortly after she moved to Gladwyne, and she enjoyed the Philadelphia Country Club and the Main Line Newcomer’s Club as platforms for a busy social life and a broad range of volunteer service and charitable activities. At Philadelphia Country Club she was a 28-year full member, served on the Board of Governors and numerous committees including the Membership Committee and the Bridge Committee, which she chaired. She was a member of the Philadelphia Area Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society and organized its annual bridge tournaments. Her other volunteer activities included the Red Cross Blood Bank and Bryn Mawr Hospital. With deep concern for local human services needs, Jean was an enthusiastic Sole Sister and active participant in many Greenwich United Way events before moving to Connecticut and continuing throughout her time there.

Jean was a devout Catholic, attending Mass regularly throughout her life, volunteering at St John Vianney’s in Gladwyne, and joining St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes parish upon moving to Stamford.

Her family and many friends also remember her love of the performing arts, especially symphony, ballet, and Broadway shows.

She is survived by her three children, Raymond (Carolyn) Strecker of Jersey City, Jean (Trez) Moore and Karen (Dennis) Keegan. She also leaves ten grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Jean was preceded in death by her older sister, Catherine Strahan Keyser, who lived in Philadelphia and died in 2011.

Private memorial services are planned. For those wishing to make a donation in Regina’s name, the family gratefully suggests donations to Greenwich United Way https://greenwichunitedway.org/donate-now/.