Richard I. Gallaher

Gallaher, Richard “Dick” Ivan, 91, of Kettering, OH passed away on Sunday, March 27, 2022 at Oak Creek Terrace after a long and wonderful life. Born July 6, 1930 in Rochester, NY to the late Paul and Beulah Gallaher, Dick was raised in Ashland, KY and was a proud 1948 graduate of Ashland High School (The Tomcats). Dick was a US Army veteran serving in Occupied Germany (’48-’51) and later transferred into the US Air Force serving at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (’51-’53). In 1952, Dick married the love of his life, the beautiful Virginia Lou Dickerson, also from Ashland. After the service, Dick worked as the circulation manager at the Journal Herald and in 1959 started his long and successful 29 year sales and sales management career at J M Woodhull, Inc, the exclusive distributor of 3M duplicating products. Dick won numerous sales awards and always stressed to his children the importance of showing up and over achieving. As serious as all this seems, he was one of the funniest and wittiest people that our dear Lord put on earth. Dick was also instrumental in getting Notre Dame football broadcast on the radio in the Dayton metropolitan area beginning in the 1960s.

Dick lost his Jenny Lou in 2001 after 49 years of marriage. To be honest, he was never really the same with her passing. Dick also lost his beloved younger brother Clyde Edward “Jack” Gallaher in 2014. Dick is survived by his children Rick (Ann) of Kettering, Michael (Beth) of Nashua, NH, Karen Gomez (Jay) of Aurora, IL, and Kimberly Merrill (Bob) of Kettering. Other precious family member survivors include his sister, Catherine (Bill) Turpin of Georgetown, TX. Dick loved his grandchildren which include Shannon Lipp, Erin Plunkett (Chris), Brian Michael Merrill (Molly), Andrew Merrill (Alyssa), Jordan Gomez (Meghan Martin), Sara Dee (Matt), Molly Boddy (Scott), Peggy Gallaher, Anna Gallaher, and Grace Gallaher. Dick has also been blessed with 15 great grandchildren and counting and of course his many nieces and nephews. A private family memorial service will be held in Dick’s honor at the family’s convenience. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project (woundedwarriorproject.org).and finally, the family wants to extend a special thank you to the Oak Creek Terrace staff for watching over and caring for Dad these past few months. Online condolences may be sent to www.tobiasfuneralhome.com.