Regis William Campfield

Regis William Campfield, a man of faith and family, was born on January 8, 1942, in Pittsburgh, PA, and died on October 27, 2017, in Dallas, TX. He is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Mary Tarpley Campfield, and their two daughters and sons-in-law: Allison and Mike Taten; Claire and John Storino; six adoring and adored grandchildren: Matthew, Laura and Jane Taten; Mary, Anne Elise, and Catherine Storino; brother-in-law Charles Tarpley and his wife, Mary Ellen. Regis was the much beloved only child of Regis P. and Katherine A. Campfield of Rillton, PA. Of the 93 graduates of his high school class, he was one of three to go to college. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame. His Notre Dame experience was foundational for his life. While at University of Virginia School of Law, he met and in 1966 married the love of his life, Mary Tarpley, a U.Va. Ph.D candidate from Dallas. As a young lawyer in Cleveland, he found the invitation in 1970 to teach at Notre Dame Law School irresistible. In 1977, he joined the SMU Law School faculty, where for the next 32 years he happily taught Wills and Trusts, Estate Planning, and Estate and Gift Taxation, retiring in 2009 as Professor Emeritus and Marilyn Jeanne Johnson Distinguished Law Faculty Fellow. In what might be considered somewhat dry subjects, Regis injected much humor into his classes. Upon meeting him decades later, former students would recite some of his memorable quips verbatim. Many of his former Notre Dame and SMU students became lifelong friends. As Founder and Chair of the Notre Dame Tax and Estate Planning Institute, Regis continued for 35 years to direct and grow the program into one of the largest and preeminent tax institutes in the country, attracting as many as 1,000 attendees to hear the nation's best tax and estate planning experts. An expert in his own right, Regis was the author of many books and articles including Taxation of Estate, Gifts and Trusts (now in its 23rd edition), Fiduciary Tax Guide, and Taxation of Income. Regis loved solving problems and helping people and never met a stranger. He was ever grateful that his profession allowed him to couple his innate love of getting to know each person he met with the intellectual challenges inherent in tax and estate planning. He was awarded a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. Notre Dame Law School named its 5,000+ volume collection in estate planning the Regis and Mary Campfield Collection in Estate Planning. His professional honors include: Life Fellow of the American Law Institute; Fellow and Regent of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel; member of the Council of the International Academy of Trust and Estate Law; Chair of a Tax Section Committee of the American Bar Association; Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel; and Editor-in-Chief of Probate Lawyer. Of the many awards and honors he received, the most meaningful to him were these: his grandson Matt's middle school speech, extolling in detail the qualities that made his grandfather Regis the person he most admired; and the award at his 50th Notre Dame reunion designating him "the person who had done the most to keep the class together." For over a half century, Regis served faithfully as Class Secretary of the Notre Dame Class of 1963. He also received the Person of the Year Award in 2009 from the Notre Dame Club of Dallas. Engraved on a plaque on a bench at Notre Dame is Regis' grateful tribute to his beloved parents, "who together had the dream, the energy, the will and the love all their days." It is a fitting tribute to Regis as well. Regis' love for his family and friends knew no bounds. Watching his six grandchildren grow to be such special individuals provided incomparable joy. A funeral mass was held at St. Rita Catholic Church, Dallas at 10 am, Monday, November 6, 2017, preceded by visitation at 9 am and a reception immediately following the mass. Burial will take place at Cedar Grove Cemetery following a private Mass at the Log Chapel on the campus of the University of  Notre Dame Tuesday, November 21, 2017. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Regis and Mary Campfield ACE Endowment for Excellence, Notre Dame Development, 1251 N. Eddy St., Suite 300, South Bend, Indiana 46617 or to a charity of your choice. The ACE Endowment supports excellence in teaching for underserved Catholic schools.