Manuel Regateiro was always most comfortable at 30,000 feet– at the complex controls of Walt Disney’s Gulfstream airplane.
On his wedding anniversary to his beloved wife Rose in 1992, Disney’s Chief pilot faced an incredible challenge: to land the decommissioned plane safely on World Drive, where on any other day thousands of cars wind their way to Disney’s famous theme parks. “Go easy, Manny told himself. Go easy.”
Sheriff’s deputies stopped traffic, and news reporters and cameras recorded the safe landing. Manny emerged then in black pants and a starched white shirt and tie and took pictures with Mickey Mouse. The first-generation son of a stone mason had come a long way for this iconic moment. He planned it out to the smallest detail… which is an approach he took for the rest of his 30+ year Disney career, and his rich and storied life as husband. Father. Pop Pop.
On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, facing the helipad at Advent Hospital in Orlando, Florida, Manny Regateiro died peacefully in his sleep after a valiant but terrible fight against sarcoma. He was 75.
Manny is survived by Rozanne Regateiro to whom he was married for 51 years as well as his children, Manuel Jr of Dallas, Texas and Gina Cordero of Windermere, Florida, and his grandchildren Ava and Isabella Cordero.
Services for Manny will be public and held at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Cemetery at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 21. Address as follows: 400 Woodlawn Cemetery Road, Gotha, FL 34734. The one-hour service will celebrate his life and be followed by a burial service with military honors nearby.