Joseph L. Gallagher

November 22, 1939  –  August 20, 2022

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A 77 year friend from the first grade in 1945 until his recent death. Joseph L. (Ludwig) Gallagher of Southampton, Pennsylvania passed away peacefully at home after a long illness.

We met in first grade. We knew each other beginning then but it took another six or seven years to meet-up at the local bowling alley or at Ted’s Atlantic, a gas station at the Oxford Circle and just hang out with maybe six or seven friends. Joseph Ludwig Gallagher. Joe’s mother was Anne Lidwig which Joe used as his middle name and his father who was German but since Germans weren’t too well thought of during the first and second World Wars his family took the last name of Gallagher. He retained his German connection with the middle name of Ludwig although he only used the initial “L”. Joe lived on Anchor Street, right near the school, then went to Ardsley, PA when his parents moved there. He went to Mercy tech, a trade school while I went to North Catholic High then I went to Father Judge High then to Villanova. Joe joined the Marines.

Joe went into real estate and became a millionaire but his fortune was cut in half by the divorce from his first wife Vera Scaaola. His daughter Dawn had triplets but his wife Vera and Dawn, their mother refused to let them meet Joe. He never saw them. We thought that was wrong. We saw then once, by accident and by coincidence in the Richboro McDonalds. Joe left Dawn $10,000 in his will so no one could say he forgot about her and that prevented her from making that claim in ccourt.
We went to different high schools but we got together and hung out in the evenings at Ted’s Atlantic on the Oxford Circle in Philly.

Riding bikes; spinning tales as much as young men can; learning to smoke; hot rodding with various engines and cars; talking about girls and other guys and doing all the things friends do. We were into hot rod cars and motorcycles,…. Building, riding and racing them. He went into the Marines. I was half a year younger and needed parental permission which wasn’t coming. Along with Jimmy Snyder we rode motorcycles from Philly to Camp Lejeune, met Joe and rode back. We went on dates with girls together. We were in each others weddings. We sort of stayed in touch on and off over the years then maybe six or seven years ago we started going to dinner with our wives. His second and my first. The dinners and the evenings went quick. Good times. It does not seem like 77 years but that’s the reality of it. Joe’s gone.. We miss him… I miss him.

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Joe received a lung transplant in 2016 and a pacemaker. He never complained about it.  It was predicted to last about five years but Joe somehow beat the odds and survived with it for eight fun-filled years. Joe was a proud husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. Joe beat the odds but sadely he passed away when he was 82 years old.

Born November 22,1939, to Anne Ludwig Gallagher and William J. Gallagher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

After growing up in the Oxford Circle area of Philadelphia, he went on to graduate from Mercy Technical High School. Joe entered the US Marine Corp in 1957. He was honorably discharged in 1960 with the rank of Lance Corporal.

Joe was truly a Renaissance man. He owned and operated a successful painting and building contracting business until his retirement. Joe knew how to have fun! He had a passion for motorcycles and raced them long past his youth. He had a lifelong fascination with automobiles, including disassembling a 1939 Buick and reassembling it in restored condition from the bolts up. He called it “The Butler’s Car”. Joe enjoyed showing cars at car shows and won many trophies. He believed in following the letter of the law and he could answer questions on just about any topic under the sun.

He enjoyed fishing, helping friends, and family with construction projects, and eating a good lobster. He had strong political beliefs and authored many letters to local newspapers. Yes, some were published.

Joe had a fantastic sense of humor. He was able to find something funny in just about everything and would often crack everybody up with one of his witty remarks. He will be remembered by his family for being a hardworking, hilarious, and dedicated husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and by his many friends including this one.

Joe married, had three children, divorced and married again. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Nancy Penecale Gallagher, his children; Lisa A. Dougherty of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Teresa Gallagher of Glenside, Pennsylvania, and Dawn Crockett of Richboro, Pennsylvania who withheld her three triplets from Joe’s sight; Nancy’s children and their families: Kathy Kilcoyne of Warrington, Pennsylvania, Frank Penecale of Hatboro, Pennsylvania, Roseann Riedmmiller of Warrington, Pennsylvania, Richard Penecale Jr. of Hatboro, Pennsylvania and his grandchildren; Grace Williamson, Harry Williamson, Maggie Dougherty, Jack Nisbet, Kelly Nisbet, Beatrice Crockett, James Crockett, and Matthew Crockett. Richard Penecale III, Krystal Paskus, Kelsey Marie Riedmiller, Patrick Riedmiller, Megan Penecale, Kelly Kilcoyne, Kristine Kilcoyne and Katie Kilcoyne and his great grandchildren; Sophia, Joey, & Alex Paskus.

He is also survived by his siblings; William J. (Bill) Gallagher of Chadds Ford, PA, Carolyn Spena of Harleysville, PA and Robert (Bobby) Gallagher of North Wildwood, NJ.

JLG will long be remembered as a realist, full of strength, energy, action, unfiltered observations, and determination. But mostly we will remember him for his love of sweets!

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Blind Relief Fund of Philadelphia, https://blindrelieffund.org/ or The Temple Lung Transplant Program, https://www.templehealth.org/services/lung/patient-care/programs/lung-transplant

Services were private.

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