1929 - 2022
OBITUARY
Francis “Frank” / ”Red” Edward Gallagher Sr. passed into the hands of God surrounded by family on August 22, 2022. He leaves behind wife of 66 years Anne Gallagher; children Mary Anne and Tom Early, Kathleen and Bob Hutchinson, Frank and Anne Gallagher (Jr.), John and Patti Gallagher, Timmy Gallagher, Kevin and Noreen Gallagher, and Meg and Billy Casey; grandchildren Kelly and Stephan Mahabir, Katie and Taylor BelViso, Thomas, Deidre, and Mary Early, Sean and Jamey Hutchinson, Meghan and Mike Alcide, Timmy Hutchinson, and Mary and Alex Salamone, Mary, Frankie (III), and Patrick Gallagher, John (Jr.), Danny, Kerri, Mary, Conor, Liam and Kaitlyn, Jackie, Tessie, and Vincent Gallagher, Brendan, Colleen, Sinéad, and Kevin Gallagher (Jr.), Billy, Ryan, Terrance, Mary, Kevin, Nora, Michael, and James Casey; great-grandchildren Chloe, Violet, and Juliet Mahabir, Hayden and Nicholas BelViso, Anna, Emma, Dominic, and Sean Hutchinson, Michael (Jr.), Mena, and Jack Alcide, Christopher Salamone, and Adrianna Gallagher; and a host of extended family and friends who all love him dearly and will miss him always. He is embraced by his parents Edward and Margaret Gallagher.
Frank’s birth on October 23, 1929 in Brooklyn may have launched the Great Depression, but since that was inconclusive no one ever held it against him. The child of Irish immigrants from Mayo and Donegal, he spent his youth playing stick ball with his friends while attending St. Francis Grammar School; he moved on to Brooklyn Tech High School and then Brooklyn College. He served his country in the U.S. Air Force, and later his city when he joined the NY police force.
Upon their marriage, Frank and Anne made up for his having been an only child by introducing seven additional Gallaghers into existence and adopting countless more on an honorary basis, for which we can only apologize on his behalf, having it on good authority that the pack of us are a menace to society. The faithful couple proved themselves incapable of abandoning even the syllables of the neighborhood where they were born and moved to Lynbrook in 2000.
A man of few words and plentiful grins (often accompanied by a wink), Frank perfected the deadpan one-liner to such a degree that sometimes it was hard to tell he was joking. His easy manner belied his strict credo that “you have to put the bread on the table”; he worked several jobs to support his large family, instilling in them strong values that have threaded the successive generational gaps seamlessly. All of his progeny will agree that the most precious of these values was an unwavering dedication to the Catholic faith, passed on by both instruction and example. That faith bore him ever onward, supporting a steady sense of humor in the face of crippling pain, which saw him cracking whip-fast jokes between racking coughs from a hospital bed on multiple occasions.
To quote Frank’s youngest daughter, “He has 33 grandchildren that all think they’re his favorite.” The fact that they were somehow all correct speaks to the wealth of love and depth of soul that such a man brings to everyone within his reach. He was a miracle to know and a privilege to love, and his like will not pass this way again.
Frank, Red, Dad, Pop – thank you for your life, and for having us in it. We love you, and can’t wait to see you again.
VISITATION
Thursday, August 25
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Friday, August 26
2:00 - 4:00 PM & 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Donza Funeral Home
333 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, NY
MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL
Saturday, August 27
9:30 AM
St. Raymond's R.C. Church
263 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, NY
INTERMENT
St. Charles Cemetery
2015 Wellwood Avenue, Farmingdale, NY