John was born on September 27, 1943 in Manhattan, NY to John “Jack” and Bernadette (Bagley) Galvin. He moved to Brooklyn with his family as a child. He had 3 siblings, Elizabeth Berge(deceased), Kathy Fogarty, and Thomas Galvin.
John married the love of his life, Eileen Burke(deceased 1996), on February 6, 1965. They had 3 sons, John, Robert, and Kevin. John and Eileen moved to Staten Island in 1972.
John started his career in the New York City Fire Department in 1970. He spent 32 years working mostly in Brooklyn at Engine 231/Ladder 120 as a firefighter, Engine 239 as a Lieutenant, and the Bureau of Operations at Headquarters as a Captain. He was part of the FDNY response to the tragic events at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 and the heroic search and recovery efforts in the months that followed. He retired in 2002.
John spent his retirement with the people he loved, traveled often on cruises, and spent much of his time in his favorite place in the world, St. Maarten. He loved watching and talking about sports, especially hockey. He also spent time as an assistant coach for the hockey teams at Monsignor Farrell High School.
John is survived by his sons John, Robert and his wife Sara along with their son Sean, and Kevin and his wife Dena along with their children John “Jack”, Kelly, Daniel, and James, as well as his sister Kathy Fogarty, brother Thomas Galvin, and longtime friend Pat McCauley-Ekeland.
One of his greatest joys in life was becoming a grandfather, where he was lovingly referred to as Pa by his grandkids. John was an extraordinary man who truly affected many people’s lives in countless ways. He was generous and kindhearted beyond belief. His quick wit always made people smile. He was loved and will be missed by all those who were lucky enough to have known him.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in John's memory may be made to FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation, http://www.firefamilytransport.org/.
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