Michael Ray Gallagher

Our Dad, Michael Ray Gallagher, 81, went home to be with Jesus on February 16, 2025, in Alice, Texas.  

Born on December 14, 1943, in Ranger, Texas, he is the son of Yvonne and Owen Gallagher, and the oldest of six children. He grew up with a deep appreciation for hard work and resilience, qualities that would define his life and career.  A self-taught and exceptionally skilled mechanic, our dad could take almost any non-working engine and rebuild it with surgical skills. This talent directed his professional path as he built a long and successful career in the oil and gas industry working for, and ultimately retiring from, Texaco Oil Company. During his time with the company, he navigated the South Texas landscape always going where the job needed him. Though moving for work was never easy on him or his family, he did so with faith, believing God would lead him where he needed to be to continue his life’s work of providing for us. His devotion to being our provider was evident to us all; visible in his work ethic and recognized by the calluses on his hands.  

This commitment to his family was deeply rooted in dad’s Catholic faith. Sunday Mass, obtaining our sacraments, and learning to recite the Rosary were all an important part of our upbringing.  For our dad, saying the daily Rosary was a significant part of who he was, as important as putting on his scapular as part of his work uniform. Whether in his jacket pocket, in his company truck, or on his nightstand, his rosaries were always within reach—a tangible connection to his devotion and love for Jesus and our blessed Mother Mary.  Beyond his profession and faith, our dad had a deep love for the outdoors, and extraordinary compassion for animals. His heart for animals great and small rivaled that of St. Francis of Assisi. It was not uncommon for him to return home from work with an injured wild animal and nurse it back to health before releasing it back into the wild. For many years, our dad also provided us with a mini-farm full of guinea fowl, geese, ducks, chickens, and rabbits—animals that not only provided us with sustenance but also taught us invaluable lessons about sustainability and living off the land. This passion extended to gardening and dad was able to harvest vegetables and fruits (and his well-loved chiltepin pepper plants) for us, grown only with dirt and patience.  

It was the simple joys in life that our dad enjoyed the most. He cherished meeting up with his brothers to have breakfast and was a faithful listener to old country music. When he BBQ, the sounds of country legends like Willie Nelson and Don Williams would fill the outside air as much as the smoke from the pit. And though he was not one for engaging in competitive sports, our dad somehow maintained his champion status in the backyard game of Washers all his life.  Two coffee cans, two holes, and three rusty washers are all he needed to showcase his Olympic-level skills.  It was not uncommon for him to sink his washer on his very first throw of the game. Although we tried, no one in the family could match his skill.   It is memories like these that we will hold onto for a lifetime and remember with gratitude: From the feel of our dad’s hands, rough and worn from working to provide for us, to those very same hands grasping gently his rosary as he prayed; The piercing blue color of his eyes that mirrored a morning, sunlit sky; And unforgettable to us all, the scent of Old Spice and oil that lived on his favorite blue jean jacket. 

 Dad is survived by our mom, his wife of 59 years, Linda Gallagher; sons, Owen (Kim) Gallagher, Jason (Nikki) Gallagher, Matthew Gallagher, and Luke Gallagher; and daughter, Erin Gallagher; 10 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Yvonne and Owen Gallagher; brothers, Patrick and Peter Gallagher; and Harley—his beloved four-legged companion. 

Dad’s legacy is one of devotion—to faith, family, hard work, and the simple joys of life. May his memory bring comfort to those who knew him.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, 8 March, 2025 at St. Frances of Rome Catholic Church in Agua Dulce, Tx, beginning at 10:30 a.m. with the Rosary, followed by the funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m.

Arrangements are entrusted to Holmgreen Mortuary, 2061 East Main Street, Alice, Texas

Condolences for the family may be offered at www.holmgreenmortuaryinc.com and shared via Holmgreen Mortuary Facebook

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