- November 21, 2024
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Whether it was the Kiwanis Club pancake breakfast, Sunday service at Christ Church or the beach at 3 p.m., Longboaters always counted on Cash Register to be present.
He was called “The Mayor of the Beach” and “The Mayor of Longboat” by many. This was due to his kind heart and the dedicated involvement that Register brought to every aspect of his life.
Winston "Cash" Monroe Register died on March 28, 2024, at the age of 88. He is survived by his wife, Evelyn "Snookie" Register; his four children, Carmen, Kevin, Paula, and Pam; his nine grandchildren; and his 10 great-grandchildren.
“A friend stopped by yesterday,” said his son Kevin Register. “They said, ‘What's it like being the son of the most popular man in Longboat?’”
Register was born on Aug. 21, 1935, in Bismarck, North Dakota.
It was in his Sigma Chi fraternity at the University of North Dakota where he received his nickname, Cash, and went by it for the rest of his life. After graduating, Register was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served 13 months in Korea.
Once he returned to North Dakota after his service, he met Snookie and married her. They were together for 64 years.
In his career, Register was the co-owner of a wholesale wine and liquor company. His family described him as a personable man, always trying to get to know the people in the community around him. This dedication showed through his many community involvements.
Register served in the North Dakota House of Representatives. He was also the president of the local school board, a member of three bank boards, president of the North Dakota Quarter Horse Association and a member of the national Quarter Horse Association board.
“He was just so personal and wanted to interact with everybody,” said Kevin Register. “He was always telling jokes and made everybody feel comfortable.”
Curious about connecting with people and learning about their backgrounds, Register was an avid traveler.
One day, he was reading through National Geographic and saw on the back of the magazine the opportunity to participate in Earthwatch Institute projects. Earthwatch Institute is an international environmental nonprofit.
“They were looking for data entry people,” said Register's daughter Paula Anderson. “It was perfect for him because he loved to travel and explore and mix with different people. So, he signed up and got to experience these amazing countries. I mean it was not your usual vacation. They were sleeping in the mountains of Poland studying wolves.”
Along with the wolves in Poland, Register helped with projects such as studying humpback whales in Mozambique, platypi in Australia and dolphins in the Mediterranean. He shared his love for travel with his family, taking them along on many adventures around the world.
Register and Snookie moved to Longboat Key 32 years ago. They became involved with Christ Church of Longboat Key and the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key.
Lawn Party event chair and co-proprietor of the Lazy Lobster Michael Garey couldn't put Register's dedication to the Kiwanis Club into words.
“He was a valued friend and one of the longest-tenured members of the Kiwanis Club,” said President Chris Sachs. “Even more so than his service, he was valued for his inimitable wit, wisdom and charm. He will be sorely missed and long remembered.”
He was always alongside Sachs at the Salvation Army bell-ringing station outside of Publix. Garey said he was the first one at Kiwanis pancake breakfasts flipping pancakes for everyone. Register also bought numerous tables every year at the annual Lawn Party.
“Generous is the best word to describe him,” said Kevin Register. “That is something he instilled in us. He always taught us the importance of giving back and being humble too. He called himself the luckiest person alive because his family was very poor growing up. So, every time we would come back from being with a friend here on Longboat or anywhere, he would call himself the luckiest person alive because he was just so grateful.”
