Thomas Gallagher
October 3, 1935 - February 15, 2017

"Dear John & all Gallagher family, So sorry to hear your Dad passed away. He truly made a difference in my education at BRHS. I will be forever grateful to him for that. I was also so grateful to your Mom for sharing her battle with cancer with Relay for Life survivors & families years ago. All of you are in my thoughts & prayers as you continue on your life's journey without your parents. Sincerely, Marsha (Wade) Oswalt"

"Chopper. You are a good man. You sat with me patiently after school every day forever, helping me with every class of yours I didn't understand. Which was all of them. I was a C student, but you did your best, and I appreciate it. I so wanted to learn. Thank you for your passion and humor. For giving me an A in geometry construction, and for wearing a gorilla head in class after we won the sectional. You stuck with your end of the bet. In any right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the legs. Euclidean geometry is embedded in my brain, thanks to you."

"Chopper was an entertaining study as he struggled to keep his sagging gray slacks up and rapped the board, sending chalk fragments flying. I recall that kind of motion is how he got the name Chopper. He'd explain concepts and chop his hands through the air. He seemed to have all this coiled energy. The Bruce Lee of algorithms. I also love how he said "minute" (as in small). He was so passionate. It was strange to watch that passion. You'd think he'd have gotten bored sitting in the room, but the moment he spoke, he was on fire. Also, you didn't want to make him mad. His ears would lay back and his eyes narrowed like John Wayne's. When I knew Mr. Gallagher, he was 45. Forty-five seemed so old, when you're 16. It's 7 years young than I am now. And that's how fast life goes. One of my favorite teachers."

"You have an object in Earths atmosphere, every second it falls 32 feet faster than the previous second until the fluid friction of the air prevents it, then it has reached terminal velocity. I can still see him rapping on the chalkboard for emphasis, when he taught that to me and many others, over 40 years ago. Some things you don't forget, some teachers you don't forget. He was that kind. He loved Math and Physics, he wanted his students to love it,also. So now Tom Gallagher has reached terminal velocity, so to speak, and we say Goodbye and Godspeed to him, along with his family. I think those who knew him then and now would say he did his best to make the world a better place and thats not a bad thing. Tony Craney"

"The Andrews family sends its condolences to the Gallagher family. You are in our prayers. Your father will be missed by both you and the Montgomery community. Michael and Trudy Andrews and the Andrews family"

"John, Karen and Becky You have my sympathy and prayers for the loss of your father. Even though I only met him once or twice I know he was a wonderful man and father due to what I have heard you say about him and the good people you have become. Your old nurse, Donna Bassett"

"We send our sincere condolences to you. Tom was a wonderful person and always had a smile for everyone. He will truly be missed, not only by your family, but the entire community. We pray that God will give you comfort and help to to smile knowing the impact Tom made on so many people. Gordon and Pat Wade"

"Beautiful in Blue was purchased for the family of Thomas Gallagher."

"I am saddened to learn of the loss of a man that made such a tremendous impact on me as a HS student. He challenged me in a way no other teacher had done to that point, and probably never again. I admired so many of his classroom teaching methods. Thinking on your feet, discipline, and preparation. I learned to flourish in his classroom, and it gave me a formative boost of self-confidence. Reflecting years later, I don't think I could been any better prepared for the engineering courses in college. How fortunate I was to have moved to the B-R community as a sophomore. Successes in athletics will be remembered and treasured for sure, but I believe Tom and my academic foundation to be the single greatest treasure obtained in those 3 years. Its been many years since we've spoken, and for that I'm now regretful. I recall our conversations in his classroom when I would come back to B-R during my college years. I loved the interaction and to hear his viewpoint on the future. I wish I had one more opportunity to tell him how much he meant to me as a teacher, and a friend. Barr-Reeve and the surrounding communities have lost a great one. My condolences to the family. You should all be very proud. Jon Omer Class of '87"

"Ocean Breeze Spray was purchased for the family of Thomas Gallagher."