Philip Joseph Galanti, Jr.

It is with deep sadness that we bid a final farewell and Well Done to Phil Galanti, loving husband of Carrol.

Phil was born the second of three sons to COL Philip J. and Mrs. Ruth E. Galanti, in Glen Gardner, New Jersey. He attended ten different schools the first ten years of his schooling, and lived in many exotic places, which created and nurtured his later “wanderlust”.

On graduation from West Point in 1962, he joined the US Army Corps of Engineers and spent the next 13 years on Active Duty in many corners of the world. He was selected as an Olmsted Scholar, for two years of study at the University of Madrid in Spain. After earning his masters from American University, he was assigned to the 18th Engineer Brigade in Vietnam. Vietnam was a defining experience for Phil. It affected the rest of his life.

In 1975, he resigned his Regular Army Commission and accepted a Reserve Commission. He joined the engineering-construction firm of Bechtel in San Francisco, and spent 23 years with them before retiring in 1998. While working at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in San Luis Obispo, California, he met Carrol Rothe Moorer, and chased her until she caught him. She owned the home in Pacific Grove to which they ultimately retired. They were married in August of 1984.

Phil joined the local Army Reserve community as a member of the 353rd Psychological Operations Battalion, which he later commanded. After promotion to COL, he served as G-3 and Chief of Staff of the 351st Civil Affairs Command. He served his last two years as Chief of Psychological Operations in DCSOPS at HQ, DA.

In retirement, Phil never stopped. He and Carrol continued their travels, becoming known as the Galavanting Galantis with major trips abroad each year. He served as a docent at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Monterey Museum of Art, and was always available for church activities.

His wife, Carrol, and her three children: Catherine L. Hudson, Stephen A. Moorer, and Jaqui Hope, and five grandchildren: Kayla L. Bland, David G. Hudson, Chris J. Hudson, Kodiak A.Sauer and Claire L. Moorer, survive Phil. His older brother, Paul Edward Galanti, a 1962 graduate of the Naval Academy, survives him also. Paul is a Naval Aviator who spent almost seven years as a POW in Hanoi, including the years when both Phil and his younger brother served in Vietnam. Dave preceded Phil in death in 1991, at the age of 49.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in Phil’s name to St. Mary’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 146 – 12th St., Pacific Grove, CA, 93950 or to Pacific Repertory Theatre, PO Box 222035, Carmel, CA, 93922. A celebration of Phil’s life will be held at St. Mary’s on November 7 at noon.