Robert C. Gallagher, 95, passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday morning, April 10, 2016. Born in Waitsfield on June 15, 1920, he was the last surviving child of Clarence G. Gallagher Sr. and Hattie (Boyce) Gallagher. On April 12, 1951, he married the former Elizabeth “Betty” Fallon in St. Albans. Elizabeth predeceased Robert on November 29, 2011.
Robert graduated from Waitsfield High School and continued his education at the former Burlington Business College (now Champlain College). He served his country during WWII as a member of the U.S. Air Force from 1942 to 1945. Upon his discharge from the service, Robert went to work for the George A. Soule Co. in St. Albans where he met his bride-to-be, Betty. Following, he worked for General Motors where he learned the GM business system and how to do bookkeeping. He later was employed at the former Plant and Griffith Lumber Co. in Jonesville before founding Gallagher Lumber Co. in Middlesex in 1961. Asked why he started his business in Middlesex, he replied that it was next to railroad tracks and could take bulk deliveries by rail. In the late 1970s, Robert founded the Vermont Reserve, a coalition of eight independent lumberyard members allowing members to by full boxcars of material shipped by rail at considerable savings. He also served as its first president. Robert operated Gallagher Lumber for over four decades before selling the property to Sticks and Stuff.
In addition to his lumber company, Robert worked as a housing developer on his property known as Gallagher Acres of Moretown and owned and operated Duxbury Waterworks, a water system that serviced areas in Moretown and Duxbury for many years.
Robert was a longtime member of Blush Hill Country Club in Waterbury, was past president of the Waterbury Rotary Club and a longtime member of the Vermont Lumbermen’s Association, which had honored him with the Lumberman of the Year Award. In his leisure time, he was an avid golfer and enjoyed hunting, playing pool and fishing.
Robert is survived by his children, Ellen Beth Gallagher of Barre and James F. Gallagher of Middlesex; as well as nieces, nephews and extended family. He is preceded in death by four sisters, Clare Hemingway, Ruth Jones, Alice McCarthy and Jean MacDonald; and two brothers, Clarence Gallagher Jr. and Norris Gallagher.
Memorial services will be held from Waitsfield United Church of Christ on April 27, 2016, at 11 a.m. with a reception to follow in the church dining room. Inurnment will take place in Irasville Cemetery, Waitsfield. For those who wish, memorial gifts would be appreciated to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641 (www.cvhhh.org). Assisting the family is Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury. To send online condolences visit www.perkinsparker.com.
