Regina Phillips Echavez
Obituary
May 7, 1955 - August 19, 2025
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Regina Phillips Echavez passed away peacefully in Long Beach, California on August 19, 2025 at the age of 70. Regina was born on May 7, 1955 in Baltimore, Maryland to Honorato Singo Echavez of Ginatilan, Cebu, Philippines and his wife Joan Marilyn Phillips of Pittsburg, Kansas. In the early 1960s, Regina and her family lived in Kathmandu, Nepal and Rangoon, Burma when Honorato worked for the World Health Organization. In August 1963, the family moved to the Los Angeles, California area, where Regina lived for the rest of her life.
Regina was a beautiful, gifted child with an IQ of 160 and so much promise. After graduating from John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, she attended Los Angeles City College. She worked for a short time in clerical capacities but her real interest was in modeling. Unfortunately, as a young adult, she became afflicted with schizophrenia, bipolar disease and major depression. Fortunately, she neither drank, took illegal drugs nor smoked and was generally compliant with taking her psychiatric medication. Thus, she was able to live in group housing situations and never was forced to live on the streets.
Regina was bright, quirky, generous and sweet. She remained close throughout her life with her older sister, Marciana Poland, who kept a close eye on Regina and tried to always be there for her as much as she could. Regina loved to shop and eat out, so Marciana and her husband Russell would indulge those passions of hers. She had a wonderful sense of style and took great care with her appearance. She enjoyed Tahitian dancing, reading and listening to music, especially golden oldies from the 1960s.
At the end, Regina had a very large brain tumor. Her sister Marciana stayed by her side for the last three weeks of Regina’s life. Regina was preceded in death by her parents Honorato and Joan Echavez and her older brother Honorato “Terrio” Phillips Echavez. She is survived by her sister Marciana Phillips-Echavez Poland and her brother-in-law Russell Elliott Poland, Ph.D. Regina will be dearly missed.