Kathleen Gallagher Becker

Kathleen and her husband, Staff Sergeant John H. Becker, were married in Townsville, Queensland, Australia on April 2, 1946, while John was serving in the United States Army Air Corps. She came to America as a war bride in July 1946, joining her husband in Massachusetts. They lived in several states before settling in Cary, NC, in 1972.

Kathleen continued the education she had begun in Australia and was awarded her teaching certificate with a concentration in mathematics. During her teaching career, she was recognized as an outstanding educator and was the author of several nationally published education articles. She co-authored a series of mathematics books geared to the North Carolina minimum competency requirements. She was a member of NC Teachers of Mathematics and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and served in leadership positions in both organizations. She was a motivational speaker and workshop leader at math conventions in North Carolina, Texas, California, and Washington DC.

Kathleen retired from Wake County Public Schools in 1990, after teaching at Cary Elementary, East Cary Junior High, Needham B. Broughton High School, and serving as assistant principal at Broughton.

Kathleen was preceded in death by her husband, John; parents, William and Mary Gallagher; daughter, Mary Margaret Becker; and sister, Beryl Sollieux of Australia.

She is survived by her sons, William H. "Bill" Becker and wife, Laurel, of Youngsville; and Kevin J. Becker and wife, Jennifer, of Raleigh; brother, Kevin W. Gallagher, and sister, Nancy Prizeman, and their families in Australia; as well as granddaughters April L Montigny of Cary and Raley Dean Becker of Raleigh; and great-grandsons Ryan and Kyle Montigny of Cary.

Cremation and a celebration of Kathleen's life will be held at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Cary, NC, on March 21, 2015 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the “Mary M. Becker Scholarship for Women in Engineering” at Wake Technical College or the “Richard M. Jewell Teaching Award” at Needham B. Broughton High School.