Thomas Spencer Gallagher's Obituary
Thomas “Tom” Spencer Gallagher, age 83, of La Jolla, CA, passed away on February 15, 2024.
Tom was born in Davenport, Iowa on December 30, 1940 to Marie and Maurice Gallagher. His family relocated to the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, where Tom attended Cathedral Chapel School. After they moved to San Diego, he graduated from St. Augustine High School. Tom also graduated from Loyola College, then received his J.D. from Loyola Law School.
Tom was in his mid-twenties when his father passed away suddenly, leaving his mother a widow. He selflessly abandoned his burgeoning law career to take over his father’s moving and storage business, which required him to relocate to San Diego. He did this to financially support his mother for the rest of her life, as well as his two sisters, Mary Ellen and Jane, while they were in college. The family was eternally grateful to Tom for his sacrifice.
Tom was a dedicated and loving brother to Mary Ellen “Meggie”, and Jane. (Their youngest sister Judy tragically passed away in childhood.) When Meggie became ill in 2007, Tom dropped everything to be by her side in the hospital for months until she passed, and when Jane was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, he flew across the country multiple times during the pandemic to quarantine for a week before he could care for her as she was undergoing treatment and, later, hospice care.
Tom was a fun and loving uncle, who enjoyed sending his sister Jane’s children, Andrew and Whitney, greeting cards, interesting articles and gifts. In his notes when they were young, Tom would always include lists of vocabulary words and their definitions that he thought they should learn that were advanced beyond their grade level. He actually loved reading the dictionary for fun, and would take detailed notes for himself of terms and definitions he wanted to remember.
Tom’s friends were a consistent and important presence in his life. He was beloved by his neighbors and long-time friends all over San Diego. And he kept in close touch with numerous old friends from elementary school, college and law school, most of whom still lived in Los Angeles. He was a dedicated godfather to his close friends’ children, often driving up and back from LA in one day to attend mundane activities like sporting events as well as bigger milestones like birthdays and graduations. Throughout the years, Tom and his friends would constantly laugh, rib each other and carry on just like they had as youngsters.
Tom retired from the moving and storage business in the 1990’s. Constantly curious and up for debate, he relished his routine of taking continuing education classes at UCSD. In addition to keeping his mind sharp, Tom enjoyed working out with his buddies at the YMCA gym and walking on the beach at La Jolla shores.
A lifelong learner, Tom enjoyed reading classic literature as well as many political publications, on which he took detailed notes. Anyone who had a conversation with Tom about politics would encounter his VERY vocal and strong opinions about any issue. Liberals, beware!
In San Diego, in the 1970’s, Tom met George Anne Moss Marston, his true love and lifelong companion. He and George Anne routinely traveled all across the country to watch their beloved UNC Tarheels play basketball. The two loved spending every November in Hawaii, where they were regulars at the Maui Invitational basketball tournament. Tom and George Anne were avid supporters of their La Jolla neighborhood. The two regularly dined out in local restaurants where they were on a first-name basis with staff members. Their dedication and love for one another was admirable to all who knew them.
Tom was predeceased by George Anne, his parents Marie and Maurice Gallagher, and his sisters Judy Gallagher, Mary Ellen Gallagher and Jane Gosden. He is survived by brother-in-law Craig Gosden of Beverly Hills, niece Whitney Gosden (Jason Hall) of Marina del Rey, nephew Andrew Gosden (Alexandra Field), great-nieces Virginia “Gigi” Gosden and India Jane Gosden, great-nephew Fisher Gosden, all of New York City, and many lifelong friends all over Southern California, whom he also considered family. He is also survived by George Anne’s sisters Susan (Glenn) Grigg and Sara Nell (Tommy) Hope, of Raleigh, NC and her many nieces, nephews and cousins.
A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, April 13th at 10:00am at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, with a reception to follow from 11:15am to 1:00pm at the Jonathan Club in Santa Monica. Burial will be private. An additional reception celebrating Tom's life for San Diego-area friends will be held at Piatti Restaurant (2182 Avenida De La Playa in La Jolla Shores) on Saturday, April 27th from 2:00 - 4:00pm.
Please RSVP to [email protected] for either event.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Tom’s memory to St. Rita’s School in San Diego, of which he was a generous supporter: www.stritassd.org/
What’s your fondest memory of Thomas?
What’s a lesson you learned from Thomas?
Share a story where Thomas' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Thomas you’ll never forget.
How did Thomas make you smile?
