Andrew E. Regensburg
Former Westhampton summer resident Andrew Ervin Regensburg died Friday, March 30, in Pinehurst, North Carolina. He was 75.
Born April 27, 1936, in New York City, he was the son of Irvin A. Regensburg of the E. Regensburg & Sons tobacco family and Mildred Lefcourt Regensburg, the daughter of A.E. Lefcourt, a prominent real estate developer. As a teenager, Mr. Regensburg loved the theater, ballet, opera and all restaurants in the vicinity of those venues. Some years he cooked and ate less, but skied and ran more, including in the New York City Marathon. After two stints at prep schools—he was dismissed from The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey for smoking a cigarette—he straightened up and graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering.
Having served two years in the U.S. Army, Mr. Regensburg returned to New York City to earn his master’s degree in business from Columbia University and then pursued a career in banking and commercial real estate. He was associated with Bankers Trust Company, Prudential Securities and several smaller partnerships until his retirement.
While living in the city, Mr. Regensburg acceded to his wife’s wish for weekends that included trees and flowers by purchasing a home in Westhampton, but not before announcing to the closing attorneys that if he ever had to buy a hammer, the house would go back on the market. Once there, he was an active member of the Westhampton Yacht Squadron, the Quantuck Beach Club and the Westhampton Mallet Club. As the grandson of the builder of Manhattan’s Temple Emanu-El, one of the many ironies of Mr. Regensburg’s life was that he ended up as a parishioner and assistant treasurer of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Westhampton Beach.
In 2004, he and his third wife, Mary-Stewart, sought a place where they could play croquet year-round. They also moved to Pinehurst to be closer to their children and granddaughter. A seasoned traveler with stories to tell, and a self-described news junkie, Mr. Regensburg said he found what he fondly called the best-ever retirement job as a part-time bartender at the Comfort Inn in Pinehurst.
Mr. Regensburg had a sharp intellect and wit, enjoyed life on his own terms and when his creator had given him all the cigars, martinis and 5-pound Angus burgers he would ever have, he marveled at the wonderful medical and hospice care that he found in Pinehurst.
Mr. Regensburg is survived by his wife of 30 years, Mary-Stewart (nee Lawson), and three children from his first marriage, Lisa R. Higginbotham (Jeff), Edward I. Regensburg (Paula), and Andrew E. Regensburg Jr., and a granddaughter, Lily Anne Higginbotham, all of North Carolina.
He was predeceased by his parents and his sister, Ann R. Roth.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Boles Funeral Home in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Online condolences may be left at: www.bolesfuneralhome.com.
A memorial service will be held at a later date in Westhampton.
on Apr 6, 2012