Michael David Gallagher

Michael David Gallagher, 78, of Houston, Texas, passed peacefully from the realm of mortals to whatever lies beyond in the early hours of May 20th. The day before, he spent with Janice, his beloved wife of 46 years — working together in the garden, one of the great joys of their retirement, and watching movies late into the night as they so often did. He fell asleep beside her, as he always had, and by the time the sun rose, he was gone.

Michael lived many lives in one: a soldier, a musician, a mechanic, a teacher, and a would-be philosopher-king. He was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Harold Gallagher and Lorraine Prevratil. He idolized his grandfathers, one a butcher and the other a tailor, and learned a love of cooking from his grandmothers, which he passed on to his children and grandchildren.

After his parents split when he was a boy, his mother remarried a kind man, Charles Zdenek. He grew up in Chicago, first in the city, and then in the suburb of Oaklawn. As a teen, he loved cars, music, and football, which would become lifelong passions. During this time, he sang and played the saxophone in local bands as well as raced and built cars. He struggled as a student in those years, but he loved history, speech, and drama, and would tell stories through the years about how his teachers instilled in him a love of learning, critical thinking, and arguing. A few months after he graduated from high school, he enlisted in the army to fight in the Vietnam War.

He served as a member of the Green Berets, the 5th Special Forces Group, during the Vietnam War and, after the war, as an embassy courier. This allowed him to travel the world for several years, meeting people and seeing places that most of us only dream of. However, as veterans can attest, the young man who came to fight for his country was not the man who returned.

It took him quite a while to come to terms with many of those experiences. However, it seemed that when he met his wife, Janice, things took a major turn. She reopened his heart in ways that had been dormant since before the war. They had two sons, Sean and David, and while he was often gruff and stern as a disciplinarian, there was never any doubt about how much he loved and supported his children. Those first few years weren’t always easy, but there was always love.

As a young man, he believed he would never reach age thirty-five yet went on to live more than twice that long. Along the way, he taught that family transcends blood and borders, that loyalty, strength, and kindness matter, and that integrity means letting word and deed work hand in hand. He never pretended to be without flaws, and he showed that taking responsibility for your mistakes matters more than the fact that you made them.

He believed that cooking for the people you love is solemn, respectable work — done with deliberate care, to honor those who taught you and as a gift to those you feed. And he often cooked while listening to the music of the Golden Oldies, with stories of famous musicians he had met in the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, and strong opinions about the music they made. Though he could at times despair of the future, he was also the man who introduced his sons to Star Trek and its bright vision of what humanity can become when we work together. In his later years, he enjoyed costume leatherworking and socializing at the Texas Renaissance Festival, growing food and flowers in his garden, writing stories, cooking feasts for kids and grandkids, and even making wine. His hibiscus flowers and hibiscus wine were favorites.

Mike survives by his adored wife, Janice; his sons, Sean and David, and their wives, Kelli and Eli, his step-son Scott Kurtz; and his grandchildren, Christopher, Grace, Fiona, and Duncan Gallagher. He is also survived by his siblings—David, Peter, and Suzanne on his father's side, and Marilyn and Marcia on his mother’s—along with his nieces, nephews, cousins, and the many dear friends he embraced as chosen family.

An inurnment will take place at Houston National Cemetery on Friday, June 26th at 10:45 AM. There will be a wake/celebration of life later in the day starting at 1pm and continuing into the night at the family home. Please contact Sean Gallagher for additional details at 713-670-6039.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.