Page created by: The Gallagher Family

In memory of Kevin J. Gallagher, May 24, 1942 - March 30, 2017


Thank you for visiting this space dedicated to celebrating, remembering and honoring Kevin. Here we share some favorite memories.

Watching Kevin battle Parkinson's for twelve years was tough. He valiantly fought it until the end, rebelling against the loss of independence and against using his walker or his wheelchair. Originally from the greater Boston area, Kevin was a lifelong railroad enthusiast and always said "there was not a train he would not ride no matter where it was going". An avid reader with a keen interest in the news, he loved the "Wall Street Journal" and watching the news and the Weather Channel on TV. With his quirky sense of humor, he especially liked reading "MAD Magazine" and the humor of Ernie Kovacs. As a child, he was a Boy Scout and over the years he also enjoyed stamp collecting, golf, and photography.

Kevin was the middle child. He and his two brothers all prepared for entry into the business world via high school apprenticeships at Sid's Grocery in Brighton, MA. It was at Sid's that Kevin honed his skills in sales, customer service, advertising, and on time product delivery. It is worth noting that it was during the time that the three Gallagher boys worked at Sid's that the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) started into decline and eventual bankruptcy. All three Gallagher boys wonder if the excellent service provided by them caused Sid's to excel in the grocery business and prove to be instrumental in the demise of at least one American icon.

Married to his wife, Dorie, for nearly 37 years, they traveled extensively throughout the United States and spent considerable time in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and the Caribbean, traveling frequently via train, riverboat or cruise ship. Kevin also loved animals, especially his boyhood dog, Rusty, and his adulthood Basset hounds, Hazel and Humphrey, otherwise known as fur children. Dorie always wondered whether he married her because of the train connection - she once worked for Pullman Standard - or the dog connection - as she, too, had a childhood dog named Rusty.

Kevin spent his entire 36-year career working for Cabot Corporation in their North American Rubber Blacks Division. He really enjoyed his career in logistics and sales service, and particularly the time working in Akron, Ohio. He liked having nicknames for his coworkers - his was "Sterling", one of Cabot's products. In Akron, Kevin was infamous for his poker games as well as his golfing feats. It is rumored that he probably still holds high score records at several area country clubs - Fairlawn, Firestone and Portage - to name a few. He would usually only play 2-3 rounds per year, but that didn't stop him from accumulating the world's only surviving collection of Cabot golf balls.

Kevin was a kind and generous person, but he tried to hide it and always said he was parsimonious. Regarding his thrift tendencies, he once said that "some people are cheap and they try to hide it - I'm cheap and proud of it". His best friend said that Kevin regarded every expenditure as a personal affront. He was a tightwad legend in Akron, where, as a bachelor living in modest accommodations, people in the office would give him things, which he would promptly sell. His friend also said that in later years he loved getting postcards from Kevin and Dorie's latest adventure, especially when Kevin didn't just send the free ones from hotels and cruise ships.

Kevin always loved the theatre and was at Dorie's side for most every show she judged in her role with the Suzi Awards organization. He also enjoyed music - especially that of Elvis, Little Richard, and the symphony, particularly the Boston Pops. He and Dorie worked as volunteers in the box office for the Cobb Symphony, now Georgia Symphony Orchestra, for a while, but as his mobility and dexterity deteriorated, he was increasingly unable to participate in some of his beloved activities. While Parkinson's also robbed him of many of his hobbies, up until his last days, he liked a "cold one" - Yuengling was his favorite - and a good JR cigar from time to time. Other times he enjoyed puffing on one of his many pipes.

Kevin retired from his career with Cabot in their Atlanta office in 1998, but he was a company man until the end. When Parkinson's dementia manifested, he would talk about having to get to the office to work on various projects and when dining with others, he considered himself to be at a business luncheon or dinner with new employees. He always joked that when the time came, he was going to that great carbon black plant in the sky.

Since all dogs go to heaven, and Rusty, Hazel and Humphrey all crossed the rainbow bridge many years ago, they must be ecstatic that their master is back with them again. Kevin will be especially missed by Dorie, his two brothers - Bob and Barry - many friends, and his extended family from Brookdale-Historic Roswell.

A celebration of Kevin's life was held on Sunday, April 9, 2017 from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Canton Hill location of H. M. Patterson and Son, 1157 Old Canton Road, Marietta, GA 30068. Kevin was laid to final rest with Dorie's family in Pennsylvania. Family and friends there were received from Noon until 2:00 PM on Tuesday, April 11, World Parkinson's Day, at the Brooks Funeral Home, 406 E. Washington Street, Mt. Pleasant, PA 15666. A funeral service followed immediately with the Rev. Mark Peachey officiating. A committal service and interment were held in the Mt. Joy Cemetery.

In addition to honoring Kevin, this page is also a place to support The Michael J. Fox Foundation's mission to end Parkinson's. Every person and family touched by this disease knows the same urgency for a cure. But we also can take heart in the tremendous progress that has unfolded since the Foundation opened its doors. Those living with Parkinson's have every reason to look to the future with hope.

The Foundation believes it is closer than ever to breakthrough treatments. We want to do everything we can to help. Please consider joining us in the cause in tribute to our dear friend, brother, uncle and husband and in honor of the five million people living with Parkinson's worldwide.