Martin "Marty" Thomas Galis

Martin “Marty” Thomas Galis, age 71, of Mount Prospect, IL, passed away peacefully on April 26, 2026. Marty is survived by his beloved wife, of 44 years, Laura (née McIlveen) Galis; Devoted mother, Sheila Galis; Cherished children, Ryan (Kristina) Galis and Erin (Brett) Peltier; Adored grandchildren, Charlotte, Emilia, Olivia, Brooke and Walker; Siblings, Jim Galis, Mary Osen and Brian Galis. Marty is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who will miss him greatly. He was preceded in death by his father, Martin A. Galis.

Marty was born in Chicago and grew up in Mt. Prospect and Palatine IL. He became interested in aviation at a very young age when looking out his bedroom window at the aircraft landing at O’Hare and hearing the pilots talk to the control tower on his transistor radio. He learned to fly through a club associated with the Boy Scouts called the United Air Explorers organized by a group of United Airline Pilots. He learned to fly at 17 years old and made his first solo flight on May 24, 1971 earning his private pilots license in Oct of 1971. He attended the University of Illinois and in May of 1977 earned his bachelors degree in Marketing and an associate degree in aviation from the Institute of Aviation. He also earned his A&P aircraft mechanic license. He flight instructed at Palwaukee airport (Chicago Executive) and shortly after graduation was hired by Britt Airways as a co-pilot and A&P mechanic on the Beech 99. In December of 1978 he was hired by Air Wisconsin Airlines and flew there from December 1978 until February of 1986. This is also where he met the love of his life, Laurie. In February of 1986 he was hired by Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) which was eventually acquired by USAir and flew there until September of 2006. He went on to fly for UPS retiring July 2019. Marty earned the Master Pilot Award in the fall of 2023 after 50 years of accident free flying with no violations or failed check rides, flying over 28,000 hours in his career. He was a founding father of Holiday Air Transport and President of the aviation fraternity Alpha Eta Rho for a year while at the University of Illinois. He enjoyed reading, pickleball, travel, and golf. Marty was an active member in the Men of St. James and had just become a technician in HAM radio with a now retired silent role of KE9ELK. He was PROUD family man, a loyal son, amazing friend and will be deeply missed by all.

A Funeral Mass will be held on May 21 at 10:00 a.m. at St. James Catholic Church, 831 N Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60004. A vibrant Celebration of Life will follow from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the O’Hare Tech Center (5th floor), 9950 Lawrence Ave, Schiller Park, IL 60176. All are welcome to come raise a glass, share stories, and celebrate the joy and memories he brought to all our lives.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Leukemia Research Foundation, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Leukemia Research Foundation: https://leukemiarf.org/donate/

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: https://www.stjude.org/donate/prospects-tssl.html?frequency_selected=1&express=0&amount=19

Tunnel to Towers Foundation: https://t2t.org/