Lenora Mae Bartel Regier was born in March, 1929 in China and passed away in her sleep in November of 2025. She was the first of five children born to Loyal and Susan Bartel. Lenora was the only family member born in a hospital. Her mother was born in the family farmhouse in Mt. Lake, Minnesota and her father was born on a glorified sanpan transporting his missionary parents from the ocean liner to the mainland at Shandong Province. Lenora’s four siblings were all born in the family home in Caoxian, Shandong Province. Shortly before leaving China in 1948 Lenora passed a 1,000 character test. She studied under a Chinese scholar who lived on the family missionary compound. Lenora’s education in China was extremely varied due to WWII. She and her sisters were taught at home by her Uncle Jonathan and then at Shanghai American School and finally at American School of Kigungshan (ASK) in Henan Province.

Lenora’s first two years in the States were for her junior and senior years at Mountain Lake (MN) High School. It wasn’t until a year later while a student at Bethel College in St. Paul that Doctor Uncle Peter Schultz with the help of another doctor who had practiced in China found that Visceral Leishmaniasis was the cause of Lenora’s maladies. Uncle Peter and Aunt Lou cared for Lenora in their home during her recovery. Lenora regularly gave Uncle Peter credit for saving her life.

After graduating with a nursing degree from Wheaton College she worked as a public health nurse in Chicago. In 1958 she married Milton Regier at the Wheaton Bible Church. After two years living in Chicago Lenora and Milt purchased a home in Glen Ellyn and lived there until moving to Terre Haute, Indiana in January of 2021. While in Glen Ellyn (IL) Lenora and Milt were active at Bethany Chapel in Wheaton and always were interested in contacting Chinese students at Wheaton College. Lenora kept up with nursing jobs while raising son, Steve and daughter, Joyce. Her husband Milton preceded her in death in 2021.

Da Jie Jie (Older sister…with respect…the additional Jie). As the oldest child in the family and well aware of her Chinese roots, Lenora took her family position seriously. She was also a devout Christian and a servant of our Lord Jesus Christ. She will be missed by all who knew her.