Obituary: Mary Regina ‘Gene’ Banick

Mary Regina “Gene” Banick, age 84, died on Wednesday, August 20, at the Courtyards at Briarcliff in Oak Ridge, where she and her husband, George, have lived since January 2013. She was 84 and suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

Regina was born January 19, 1930, in Atlanta. She graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1947 and earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Agnes Scott College in 1951.

She married George C. Banick on July 19, 1952. They lived in various places in Massachusetts and upstate New York before returning south, first to Chattanooga, then finally to Oak Ridge in 1958. The Banicks lived in their home on Westover Drive for 53 years.

Regina was active in St. Mary’s Catholic Church for more than a half-century. She was a member of the Sewing Club and the Catholic Women’s Club in the early years, and then taught at St. Mary’s School from 1968 to 1987, focusing on English and social studies. She loved learning, and encouraged her students to look at knowledge and life through a creative lens. Being in her classroom was always an adventure.

After retiring from teaching, she and George traveled through the South Pacific and across the United States several times. Hawaii was one of her favorite places. She was never happier than at the beach, especially Fernandina Beach, Florida, not far from her grandparent’s home in Jacksonville.

She had a passion for gardening, earning her master gardener certificate from Anderson County Extension Service. Her yard bloomed throughout the year, and each spring was a celebration of color and new life. As a member of St. Gertrude’s Guild, she helped garden the grounds at St. Mary’s. Later in life, she sewed baby blankets for needy mothers.

But her greatest role was wife and mother. She and George were married for 62 years. Besides George, she is survived by four children: Mike, 60, and his wife Cathy of Atlanta; Gina, 59, of Oak Ridge; Steve, 55, and his wife Alexis, of Scottsdale, Arizona; and Sarah, age 51, Atlanta. There are two grandchildren, Robert Banick of Washington, D.C., and Christina Banick, of Athens, Georgia.

Regina was preceded in death by her sister, Vivian, and survived by her sister Lucille White and brother Lamar Cantrall.

A service to celebrate her life was held Friday, August 29, at St. Mary’s Church. Visitation was at the church from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Mass began at 10:30 a.m., with a reception to follow at St. Mary’s Family Life Center.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Banick Scholarship Endowment at St. Mary’s School in Oak Ridge or the Eastern Tennessee Alzheimer’s Association.

Everyone is invited to leave their memories of Regina in a guest book at www.weatherfordmortuary.com.