In Memoriam – John G. Rego, MAI

John Rego, revered appraiser, family man, and amateur athlete, passed away March 7. During his career as a right-of-way agent, appraiser, and review appraiser, John worked with and influenced several notable local members of the industry.

Mr. Rego came to San Diego shortly after graduating from Sacramento State University with a B.A. in psychology. That academic orientation was surprisingly useful in his appraisal career as he made a habit of understanding people and forging relationships that lasted a lifetime. Ted Hendrickson, for example, met Mr. Rego when they started at Caltrans together in 1970, roomed with him at right-of-way school, served as his best man in the mid-1970s, and maintained a close bond to the end. Roger Lopez and Mr. Rego met in 1978, used a buddy motivation system to get their designations at the same time, and remained friends. He stayed in touch with right-of-way appraisers whom he had met decades ago, and had colleagues in the development and lending fields. Dale Smith estimates that more than 25 appraisers were in the crowd of hundreds at Mr. Rego’s memorial service March 12.

After three years at Caltrans, Mr. Rego went to Home Fed Bank for 20 years where he was a senior review appraiser, chief appraiser, and subdivision department manager. In 1981, he and many others in the bank migrated to Home Capital to finish projects mired in the recession. He was a project manager there and ran several joint-venture developments. He returned to the bank in 1983. Allen Barbour, a colleague at Home Fed, remembers Mr. Rego as “a stickler for detail. He was very conscientious. He really drilled down. I found that process to be very good for me. It made me ask questions of myself and made me a better appraiser. I respected him for his work ethic, his professionalism, and his knowledge of real estate markets.”

Mr. Rego started his own company in 1993 and did a host of assignments, mainly for lender clients. He joined First National Bank as chief appraisal officer in 2000. In 2002, he revived his company, focusing on review work in his last years. Critiquing others’ work can be tricky. But abundant recollections reference Mr. Rego’s pleasant demeanor and how he handled reviews with the greatest possible sensitivity. Dave Davis recalls John as “a very fair and thorough reviewer who never complained about the length of my biotechnology appraisal reports.”

As much as Mr. Rego cared about his work, he cared even more about his family, his friends, his health, and his faith. Ted Hendrickson and his family joined the Regos on a six-week tour of 40 states in 30’ motor homes.

When he had his own company, Mr. Rego’s wife Gilda was an important part of it. He adored his children and invested heavily in them.

Dale Smith recalled Mr. Rego’s soft-spoken manner. “He was always friendly to people and always seemed to have a smile on his face. He would go out of his way to make sure you were a part of things. John was always inviting me places, to church, to basketball games, to his house. He was the type of person who could remind us that appraisal is only what we do, not who we are. He was a great example of who we can be.”

Mr. Rego excelled at several sports, especially racquetball and softball. “He was at another level,” said Allen Barbour about the former, and several sources describe tape-measure home runs in softball, a sport he played well into his 50s. Basketball was the exception, and yet his kids were all outstanding basketball players, most notably Amanda Rego, the University of San Diego standout who currently plays professionally in Germany.

Mr. Rego was in poor health in his final years. He suffered from corticobasal degeneration, a gradual deterioration of the brain cells causing symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. Still, he persevered courageously. Ted Hendrickson said “he had a terrific faith. He gained peace through this tough time.”

In addition to his wife Gilda and daughter Amanda Rego, Mr. Rego is survived by children Kymber Bonham of Santa Cruz and John Jr, Chris, and Matt Rego of San Diego. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Foundation for PSP at psp.org, an umbrella organization seeking a cure for disabling brain diseases.