John Edwin Galloway Jr.

John Edwin Galloway, Jr. passed away on April 23, 2022, surrounded by his family. Born May 31, 1975, in Richmond, VA to Dr. John Edwin Galloway and Betty Jo Price Galloway. A natural born athlete, John excelled in every sport of which he took an interest. As a child growing up on the athletic fields and courts in Chesterfield, he was a part of the 1987 Huguenot Little League American Team that was just two victories away from a coveted trip to Williamsport, PA for the Little League World Series – losing 10-9 in extra innings at the Southeast Regionals in Sarasota, FL. He was Virginia’s #1 ranked 12-year-old in tennis, played travel soccer for the Greenfield Dragons for years, hit the pool for Briarwood in the summer if he did not have a baseball game, and held a spot on an elite Virginia AAU Basketball Team for six years - advancing to the National AAU Tournament in Las Vegas, NV. He also played for the highly successful American Legion Post 186 for four years. At Midlothian High School, John excelled in both baseball and football. He would always comment that baseball was his sport, but he loved the excitement of the Friday night crowds at Trojan games. He was an all-area wide receiver who could take over a game in all facets. During one Midlo football season, John scored all 14 points for the win, 14-0. He caught both touchdown passes and kicked for the extra points! During his junior and senior years at Midlothian, John received multiple ACC scholarship offers for both baseball and football, but ultimately decided in the fall of 1992 to accept an athletic scholarship offer from the University of Virginia for baseball. On the baseball field at Virginia, John was simply known as “G-Way.” He made an immediate impact his first year, starting 20 games for the Hoos in the outfield. In his final three seasons in Charlottesville, John started almost 150 games where he hit anywhere from leadoff to third in the lineup. He was a team standout, no more so than during the Cavs improbable 1996 ACC Championship run, where he was named to the All-Tournament team after going 9 for 24 with a home run. John’s passion for UVA took hold while earning four varsity letters and he has always maintained a connection to the Cavalier baseball program. After graduating in 1997, G-Way held numerous single season and career records and to this day is still in Cavalier Baseball’s Top 10 in career triples and runs. Following his four years at Virginia, John had offers to play in several professional baseball leagues but decided to end his baseball career and join Philip Morris (Altria). As with all things, John was a loyal employee and leader for 25 years. He was instrumental in training and developing new employees and was respected enough by his peers to work and grow one of the company’s largest accounts. He was especially active in “Rise,” Altria’s Employee Resource Group focused on supporting and understanding employees with disabilities. Inspiring others with his story and resilience, John had a positive impact on so many around him. John’s contributions at Altria cannot be overstated and he will be greatly missed by his Altria Family. John had other passions besides sports as he performed in and around Richmond with his band “What’s On Tap.” He was a self-taught guitar player, loved to sing, and wrote some of his own music. In fact, if you have ever run the Richmond 10k in the last five years, you have most likely jogged by John and the band on Monument Ave, encouraging the thousands of runners with “What’s On Tap’s” original music and cover songs. And while his baseball career provided enough highlights for anyone, if you caught him at the right time, he would most likely tell you that his favorite memory was electrifying his co-workers on stage at a House of Blues corporate event where he went toe to toe with the lead singer of the Grammy Award winning band, Train, belting out a cover of “Don’t Stop Believin’.” John also had a passion for giving back and was on the Advisory Council for “Hitting Cancer Below The Belt,” a local non-profit. In addition, John was a huge advocate of colon health awareness, taking the stigma away from colonoscopies, and supporting multiple Facebook cancer support groups such as “My Crones & Colitis Team” and “Young Cancer Survivors.” He also blogged about his journey on Facebook – because he knew early screening was imperative. In January of 2022, the University of Virginia gave John the inaugural “Iron Cavalier Award” during their annual Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The award was created to honor a Virginia Baseball alumnus who demonstrates perseverance and strength on and off the field. It was a tribute well deserved. During the ceremony, John spoke about having a positive attitude, family, faith, motivation, and being an advocate for yourself when facing medical challenges. In front of UVA alumni, fans, family, coaches, and the entire 2022 Cavalier baseball team, he also reiterated what had become his mantra, to get regular health and wellness checkups. A true inspiration to all who watched (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68NK2Gfy23k). John was a lover of family, friends, music, travel, story-telling, OBX, creating TikToks with his kids, all things UVA, and just enjoying life in general. A competitive spirit with a humble heart. Those who were fortunate to know him loved him. A Celebration of Life will be held at 12 pm on Monday, May 30, 2022, at Woody Funeral Home Huguenot Chapel with a visitation one hour prior. Favorite Quote: “It’s not the problem that’s the problem. It’s your attitude about the problem that’s the problem.” - Captain Jack Sparrow John is survived by his wife Deborah Mason Galloway; his two sons, James and Joseph Galloway; and his three bonus daughters, Lawson, Bryce and Spencer Colgate; his parents John and BJ Galloway of Midlothian, VA; his three sisters Renee Collier (Ren) of Great Bridge, VA, Sabrina Galloway of Providence, RI, and India Suter (Chip) of Timonium, MD; his in-laws Susan Mason of Midlothian, VA and Bill Mason of Dinwiddie, VA; his brother-in-law Chris Mason (Jennifer) of Columbia, SC; his nephews Taylor Beacham of Hudson, NY, Trey Collier (Cristina) of Midlothian, VA, and Charles Suter of Timonium, MD; his nieces Hannah Garon (Paul) of Rehoboth, MA, Mary Price Suter of Timonium, MD, Bridget Suter of Timonium, MD, Caroline Mason of Columbia, SC, and Catherine Mason of Columbia, SC; his six great nieces and nephews – Oren, Michael, Ella, Cameron, Oliver, and Rowan; and his loyal dog, Jazz. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to “Hitting Cancer Below The Belt,” hcb2.org - “Galloway Grant”