WILLIAM D. GALLAGHER
Born June 16, 1923 "Bloomsday", he departed from this world on July 10, 2012 at the age of 89.

Bill was many things to many people: Devoted son, brother, uncle, friend, caretaker. He was a gentle man in the truest sense of the word gentleman. He was an avid outdoorsman, skier, hiker, teacher, bookworm, connoisseur of good food, poet, journalist, correspondent, bon vivant, world traveler. His motto was Carpe Diem - seize the day. He proclaimed to "enjoy work" but many who knew him knew he was the first to be missing in action when there was work to be done. He was a generous man who would never fail to help a person in need of a helping hand. He had a dry sense of humor and was quick to find humor in the world about him.

He was born in Bryn Mawr, the oldest child of Daniel and Catherine. He was soon followed by Jim, Joe, Catherine(Kitty) and Jerry. After high school he went to work at the shipyard as a ship builder - a job preferable to enlisting in the armed forces. Unfortunately, the war was on and there was no avoiding the draft. He was a reluctant soldier, but served honorably until the end of World War II. It was during his stint as a soldier that, I believe, his love for education took hold. He learned how to be a dental technician while in the Army and the learning bug got a hold of him at that point, never to release him. He made it through the war relatively unscathed and took advantage of the education that was offered to him by the government after returning to the States.

He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida and began his career as an English teacher. He also was a forest ranger in Montana during those early years as a teacher - traveling out there with his camping gear on the back of his motorcycle and camping in fields along the way. He earned the nickname Grapefruit while working in the Forest Service - which to those of us who knew him, it came as no surprise that any nickname he had would be related to food!

Teaching was a great profession for him as it gave him the summers off to enjoy his great passion for walking and berry picking. The only downside to teaching was he was indoors which was particularly bothersome when snow was falling outside and he was inside looking longingly at it. I think he became more distracted than the students did when the snow was falling.

During his days of teaching year-long sabbaticals were given to the teachers so they could refresh themselves from the trials of teaching rambunctious youngsters. Bill would take advantage of those breaks and travel to Europe to explore the countries there and to take classes. Ireland was his favorite country to visit and would often ask new acquaintances if they were Irish and would follow that up with "Can you cook?" He studied at the University of London, the University of Dublin and Villanova University where he received his Master's Degree in Education. He was a lifelong student and truly enjoyed learning about new things, experiencing different cultures, and meeting new people. He made many lifelong friends during these trips abroad, which speaks well to the character that Bill was.

Bill also was a devoted son and made sure his mother lived in comfort, sending her money regularly once he became employed. He also was a great help to his brother Jim, and too many other people to mention during his lifetime. He assisted his niece, Ginger, after retiring and returning to Bryn Mawr - often taking her and her husband to the train stations during inclement weather early in the mornings and late at night, as well as assisting them wherever they needed it over the years.

He was a source of much laughter over the years relative to his quirky personality and thrifty ways. He was a great proponent of bargains - a regular customer at the local thrift shops and loved the 25 cent bin! From a young age he collected tennis balls - I found hundreds of them all over his house - in every drawer, box, etc. He didn't stop at tennis balls, though. I found just about every sort of ball known to man: baseballs, softballs, racquetballs, bouncy balls, nerf balls, as well as tennis racquets, skis - downhill and cross country - knapsacks, walking sticks, hats - the list goes on and on. His house had thousands of books - I believe he retained every book he acquired - unless he gave them as a gift to someone. He had lots of cookbooks but I never saw the man actually cook anything. Learning to cook was probably on one of his many to-do lists, of which few tasks had ever been accomplished. I found he had written many over the years - some dating back to the early 50's - unfortunately there were very few checks beside any of the items and most of the items were still on his to-do lists into the early 2000's!

He was Uncle Billy to many of us - and we will miss him and all the laughter he brought to our families. So, everyone, the next time you raise your hand in a toast make sure you're holding a Guinness and think of Uncle Billy.

He was the beloved son of the late Daniel and Catherine Coffey Gallagher. Loving brother of the late Joseph (Tippy), James and Gerard (Alice) Gallagher and Catherine Casey (Jim). Dear uncle of Vince, Dan, Karen, Ginger, Elaine, Cathy, Steve, Cathy, Patty, Ellen, Caroline, Joan and the late Patrick.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday July 13, 10:30 AM at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church, 31 Pennswood Rd., Bryn Mawr, PA. Relatives and friends may call at the Church after 9:30 AM. Interment Calvary Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Ludington Library, 5 S. Bryn Mawr Ave., Bryn Mawr, PA 19010.