- Joe Howard Regenhardt, a prominent highway contractor, passed away in Cape Girardeau Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Joe was born, the youngest of four sons, to Margaret and William McKinley Regenhardt Sr. on Oct. 30, 1936, in Mount Vernon, Illinois. He was a dedicated and skilled professional who made significant contributions to highway infrastructure developments in the Midwestern United States as well as Central America. The Regenhardt family has been part of the Cape Girardeau community since 1849.
Joe and Mary Alice Thompson were married on June 24, 1960, in Mount Vernon. Joe is survived by his wife of 63 years, Mary Alice Thompson Regenhardt; four sons, Mark Alan (Karen) of Woodstock, Illinois; John Robert (Sarah) of Hot Springs, Arkansas; Carl Joe of Denver, Colorado; and Brian Edward of Savannah, Georgia; three grandsons, Christopher (Kasey), David and Drake; and one great-granddaughter, Lilly Faith.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers Bill, Bob and Tom.
Joe attended Christ Episcopal Church in Cape Girardeau and was active with the Meals on Wheels program.
He graduated from high school in Mount Vernon and went on to attend the University of Missouri at Rolla. He transferred to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, where he graduated in 1963.
Joe became interested in highway construction at an early age when he would travel with his father, who owned Regenhardt Construction Company, to various highways, levee, bridge, airfield, mining and quarrying operations throughout Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky. Upon the death of his father in 1952 and his college graduation, Joe became a partner in the family construction company with his two brothers and Don Harrison of Cape Girardeau.
Joe worked his way up in the construction field from being a common laborer, a payroll clerk and a job superintendent. Upon his graduation from college, Joe moved to the Cape Girardeau area, assuming various positions within the family business. He participated in the building of U.S. 61 through Cape Girardeau, Interstate 55 through Cape Girardeau County and Highway 25 through Dexter, Missouri.
In 1966, the R.B. Potashnick, D.L. Harrison Company was awarded a highway project in the Central American country of Guatemala. Joe moved his family to Guatemala City to manage that project. After completion, the company continued working in Central America. Over a 10-year period, the company completed several other projects in Guatemala and El Salvador, including two sections of the Pan American Highway. In 1976 Joe relocated his family to Mount Vernon. He continued to commute to Central American until 1982, when their last project was completed. He then returned to Southern Illinois to assume responsibilities with his two brothers in the family construction operations.
In 1985, Don Harrison asked Joe to come to Cape Girardeau to take over the management of Delta Asphalt companies in Southeast Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana. Joe continued in that position until 1992.
In 1992, the family companies were sold to Colas, a French consortium from Paris, France. Three of the partners retired, and Joe was asked by the new company to remain and assume the role of president and CEO. Delta Companies, the new group, included operations in Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Joe continued in this position until his retirement in December 1999.
After Joe’s retirement, he spent a lot of his time traveling to see his grandsons play baseball, football and participate in wrestling. Joe and his wife traveled extensively during his retirement, visiting Guatemala to see old friends and former employees. Travel also included trips to Alaska and a river cruise on the Yangtze River in the Republic of China.
Joe was an avid collector of antique clocks and enjoyed working on them.
He was on the founding board of directors for AmeriFirst Bank in Cape Girardeau.
He was very active in the construction industry, serving on the board of directors of The Missouri Asphalt Pavement Association, and The Missouri Association of General Contractors, both in Jefferson City. He also served on the board of directors of The Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association in Springfield, Illinois. Joe was a founding board member of The Arkansas Asphalt Pavement Association in Little Rock and served on The National Asphalt Pavement Association board of directors in Landham, Maryland.
The Regenhardt family would like to thank Crown Hospice of Cape Girardeau for the caring service it provided to Joe.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday Aug. 14, at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. There will be a visitation from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday Aug. 15, at Hughey Funeral Home in Mount Vernon.
Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Mount Vernon, with The Rev. Jon Griffen and Deacon Parker Asplin officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Christ Episcopal Church in Cape Girardeau or Trinity Episcopal Church in Mount Vernon.
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1936 - 2023 (86 years)
