Edward Joseph Gallagher, Jr.

Burlington, WA - On Friday, March 13th, 2026, Edward Joseph Gallagher, Jr., age 92, passed away at home, peacefully in his sleep.  Born in a small town in Oklahoma, Ed got used to moving around, as his father worked in the oil industry. He spent many happy days fishing with his younger brother and was doted on by his older sister. He spent time in Hobbs, New Mexico, and graduated from high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended Creighton University in Nebraska, until his parents moved to Calgary, Alberta, where his father became Vice-President of Gulf Oil. Growing up in a Catholic household, he decided to be a priest, and spent one year in the seminary. Fortunately for his five kids, he decided he liked girls too much, so left the seminary to attend Seattle University on a music scholarship. There he met the likes of Louis Armstrong, and Dave Brubeck and fondly recalls working on the school newspaper. He was drafted into the military in 1956 and became a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. While stationed in Germany, his beloved brother passed away. At home on compassionate leave, he met and fell head over heels in love with his future wife, Gay. After the military, they married and he began working in the Canadian oil fields. They had three boys in three years and decided to move to Seattle where they had two more children. He graduated from Seattle University with a teaching degree and began his career as a teacher and later a principal. The family moved to Bellevue, where he played French horn for the Bellevue Philharmonic as a hobby. He also greatly enjoyed being a docent at the Issaquah fish hatchery. When he retired from education, he picked up a new career and started commercial fishing. Yes. The boy from land-locked Oklahoma decided to buy a boat and fish on the ocean. Gay would jokingly say, "Some people get divorced, other people go fishing." Eventually, he hung up his rain-slickers, and he and Gay moved to Skagit Valley. They felt at home in Burlington where they could both indulge in their mutual love of golf. They immediately felt a sense of community in Burlington and made life-long friends. Ed volunteered at youth golf camps and golfed an unnatural amount of rounds. Once again Gay would say, "Some people get divorced, other people go golfing." At some point, Ed held the record for "Most Rounds Golfed" at the Skagit Golf and Country Club. He attributed beating stage 4 esophageal cancer to the fitness golf provided.  At 91, he could still be seen hitting a ball or two. When Gay was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Ed made it his mission to take care of her, epitomizing the vow of "in sickness and in health". She passed in 2019.  We picture her welcoming him into heaven, arms wide open. Ed was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Eleanor, his brother and sister, Michael and Colleen, and his wife, Gay. He is survived by his five children, Michael, Dan, John, Paul and Mary (Allen), grandchildren Erin, Shannon, Jack, Jace, Quinn, Claire, Christopher, Megan, as well as many nieces and nephews. He leaves behind a legacy of humor, kindness and faith. Our family would like to thank the staff at Hospice as well as the loving care he was given by his caregiver, Cecilio Turado. A funeral service will be held Wednesday, March 25th, 2026, at 10:00am at St. Charles Catholic Church in Burlington followed by a family burial at Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Bellevue. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, April 11th at the Skagit Golf and Country Club from 12:00-3:00pm. Arrangements are under the care of Hawthorne Funeral Home, Mount Vernon, WA