Shelter Island Reporter obituary: Caroline Regan
Caroline Berner Salm Regan died on Jan. 15, 2025 at her home at Kittery, Maine after a gallant, 16-month battle against glioblastoma. She was 53.
Carrie was born on Nov. 10, 1971 at Port Jefferson, the second daughter of Guenther Wilfried Salm and Joan Loudon (Umpleby) Salm.
Carrie married Timothy Joseph Regan on Sept. 26, 2009, at the Umpleby family home on Ram Island. They welcomed one daughter, Dakota Rose Regan, on Jan. 24, 2011. Shelter Island was a precious family destination and home since 1932, when Carrie’s grandfather, Jack Umpleby, went to the Prospect Hotel as a teenager with his parents.
Carrie was educated at Stony Brook and Salt Lake City public schools. She graduated from Ossining (NY) High School in 1989 and then graduated from Keene State College with a degree in Communications in 1993. She received an MA degree in English as a Second Language from St. Michael’s College, Vt. She found her passion as a massage therapist and was gifted in that healing art. Lucky were the clients who felt her touch.
Carrie’s life was filled with a love of adventure, friendship and family. Throughout her bright life, she spent college summers in Cape Cod; taught children to ski and learned how to two-step in Taos, N.M.; worked for an Iditarod family in Alaska complete with sled dogs; rock climbed in Mexico; lived in Portland, Ore; went to art openings in San Francisco; ran the marathon in Dublin; enjoyed the fruits of Florida with friends; retreats in California with other wellness practitioners; family camping trips; days out at Fort Foster, Maine (her happy place) with loved ones; cold water dipping with friends; a precious family holiday in Puerto Rico post-diagnosis; too many concerts, plays and cultural treasures in New York City to name; visiting her father’s family in Germany; a honeymoon in Italy to the Amalfi coast, Rome and Venice; touched base with each of the kingdoms in the U.K.; and perhaps her most favorite place throughout her life was time spent with her family at the Umpleby home on Big Ram.
Carrie has been to many places, and she always left them better off than when she found them. Same goes for all the hearts she found along the way.
In addition to her husband and daughter, and her parents, Carrie is survived by her dear sister, Darby Griffin (Mark) of Wellfleet, Mass.; niece Cali Rose Griffin, nephews Hannu Pechukas and Finnian Griffin; and her Auntie Annie and Uncle Tommy Wilcox of Essex, Conn., and cousins Matt Wilcox (Victoria) and Sam Wilcox (Erin and Nico) all of Portland, Ore.; and her German family in Aalen, Hans and Gabi Salm and their daughters, Karina (Patrick) and Jessi (Manu) and children.
The Regan family loved her from the moment she joined their clan. Tim’s parents, Marilyn and Jim, headed the Regans, followed by Kathy and Ben, Jimmy and Mary, Eddie, Richy and Linda, Bobby, Brian and Stacey, Kevin and Jen and Dianne and John and a gorgeous group of 27 Regan nieces and nephews.
Carrie’s family was loved and upheld by the most amazing gathering of friends from far and near during this difficult journey. She will be missed terribly by all who knew and loved her and she would want us to CarrieOn!
A celebration of Carrie’s life will be scheduled at a later date.
