Jim was the 2nd child of 12, son of Michael Gallagher and Helen Gilruth.
Click below the pictures, where it says 17 more photos to see them all. You can click on the photo and it will enlarge and explain who's in the photo.
Memories of the "Life of Jim Gallagher," written by his brother-in-law, David Tishendorf.
On a cold December evening in 2010, Jim Gallagher of Yakima rose from his dinner table and looked around at his relatives, who had just sung "Happy Birthday" to him.
"I'm 90 years old," he said, almost as if he couldn't believe it himself. "Where has that time gone?"
Jim's "time" began Dec. 16, 1920, when he was born in St. Ignatius, MT, the son of Mike Gallagher, an Irish immigrant, and Helen Loretta Gilruth. He was one of 12 children, and throughout his life he was proud of his Irish heritage.
Mike Gallagher homesteaded a farm on the Flathead in Montana, where Jim spent his early years. In those days, everybody in the family worked hard, and they started young. It also was the beginning of Jim's lifelong love affair with Montana, even though he left the state as a young man.
"In the east," Jim wrote about the farm in his autobography, "were the beautiful snowcapped mountains where the sun came up." That was a sight to see. Lots of times we would all watch that sun as it headed for the sky and away it went to the golden west as the day ended.
"On one side of the homestead was the cow barn that had windows spaced 4 feet apart. That was where my brother Rob, my sister Mary, and I sat milking 3 cows each, twice a day."
In 1936, at the age of 16, Jim left Montana and went to visit an uncle in Pennsylvania. There he found work as a farmhand, earning a dollar a day. Two years later he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, where he spent the next two years.
The CCC had a profound impact on Jim, and he talked about it for the rest of his life. Not only did the CCC provide him with a decent job at a time when he badley needed one, it introduced him to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who created the CCC. Jim idolized FDR and became a staunch Democrat. (At a recent community celebration in Tieton, WA, Jim stopped at the Democratic Party booth and picked up an Obama for President button, which he proudly wore.)
In the early 1940's, Jim's parents sold their farm and moved to Butte, MT. With his CCC stint ended, Jim returned to Montana and he and his brother Rob went to work in the Mt. Con Copper Mine in Butte.
But WWII cut the mining job short, and in 1941 Jim joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps. (Brother Rob was killed in France during the war.)
"The recruiting sergeant," Jim wrote in his autobiography, "put me on a scale and found I didn't weigh enough, so he gave me a quarter - a quarter! - and told me to go get a banana and a quart of milk and then come back.
"Luckily, after eating the banana and drinking the milk I weighed enough, so I was sworn in."
Jim served in Africa, India and China during WWII, spending some time with the Flying Tigers.
Before the war ended, another event transpired that had a even bigger impact on his life than the CCC - while home on furlough he met a girl named Amy Lillian Reynolds. Jim relates in his autobiography what happened next:
"I was discharged from the Army in September 1945, and Lil and I wasted no time in getting married. We tied the knot on Oct.15 in Butte, Montana, where we first met. (They were to be husband and wife for almost 67 years.)
"At that time, my family lived in Seattle except for my oldest sister Mary and her family. They had moved from Seattle to Naches, where Mary's husband, Jess, had been given a cabinet shop by his retired grandfather. Jess offered to teach me what I needed to know to become a journeyman carpenter. So Lil and I moved to Naches."
Thus began Jim's career as a master carpenter. Jim did carpenter work in the Naches area until jobs became scarce, and in 1958 he and Lil and their two children, Shannon and Kenny, moved to Kennewick, WA.
Jim worked for a time on the Ice Harbor Dam, but soon began building houses. One of the houses he built was chosen as "Home of the Year" in Kennewick.
Then Jim noticed there were no garage door dealers in the Tri Cities area, so he decided to fill the gap. He and Lil founded the Gallagher Garage Door Co., which quickly became so successful that he was able to leave the house-building business.
Jim and Lil operated their business until they retired in 1985. They spent several winters in Arizona before they decided to move to Yakima in 2007.
"I haven't mentioned what is probably the best part of our lives - our 3 grandchildren," Jim wroted in his autobiography.
"Ken and his wife, Susan, gave us two beautiful granddaughters, Erin and Katie. Our oldest grandchild, Ethan, is the son of Shannon and her husband, Frank Owens. Frank passed away in November 1996.
"All 3 of our grandchildren lived next door to us in Kennewick while they were growning up, and we still enjoy them so much. Katies now the mother of our wonderful great-granddaughter, Tiana, who we don't see as much as we would like."
Jim's life was nearing an end when he wrote those words. But it must now be said: No one worked harder than Jim Gallagher. No one worked harder to make his work perfect than Jim Gallagher. And no one loved his family more than Jim Gallagher.
Jim suffered a stroke Sept. 5, 2012. He died on 9-11. He would have been 92 yrs. old in December.
There is no answer to Jim's question, "Where has that time gone?" But ask Lil, ask his children and grandchildren and all those who loved him, his relatives and friends, the people he worked for and built for, and they will tell you, it was time well spent.
Jim is survived by his widow, Lil; his daughter Shannon Ziegler of Gordon, PA; his son Kenny, of Kennewick; a brother, Mike Gallagher of Centralia, WA; a sister, Ann Caskey of Spokane, WA; and sisters Jean Buffone, June Foroe, Elsie Kraut, Catherine Stubsjoen, and Sharon Smith Shaffer, all of the Seattle area.
Click below the pictures, where it says 17 more photos to see them all. You can click on the photo and it will enlarge and explain who's in the photo.
Memories of the "Life of Jim Gallagher," written by his brother-in-law, David Tishendorf.
On a cold December evening in 2010, Jim Gallagher of Yakima rose from his dinner table and looked around at his relatives, who had just sung "Happy Birthday" to him.
"I'm 90 years old," he said, almost as if he couldn't believe it himself. "Where has that time gone?"
Jim's "time" began Dec. 16, 1920, when he was born in St. Ignatius, MT, the son of Mike Gallagher, an Irish immigrant, and Helen Loretta Gilruth. He was one of 12 children, and throughout his life he was proud of his Irish heritage.
Mike Gallagher homesteaded a farm on the Flathead in Montana, where Jim spent his early years. In those days, everybody in the family worked hard, and they started young. It also was the beginning of Jim's lifelong love affair with Montana, even though he left the state as a young man.
"In the east," Jim wrote about the farm in his autobography, "were the beautiful snowcapped mountains where the sun came up." That was a sight to see. Lots of times we would all watch that sun as it headed for the sky and away it went to the golden west as the day ended.
"On one side of the homestead was the cow barn that had windows spaced 4 feet apart. That was where my brother Rob, my sister Mary, and I sat milking 3 cows each, twice a day."
In 1936, at the age of 16, Jim left Montana and went to visit an uncle in Pennsylvania. There he found work as a farmhand, earning a dollar a day. Two years later he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, where he spent the next two years.
The CCC had a profound impact on Jim, and he talked about it for the rest of his life. Not only did the CCC provide him with a decent job at a time when he badley needed one, it introduced him to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who created the CCC. Jim idolized FDR and became a staunch Democrat. (At a recent community celebration in Tieton, WA, Jim stopped at the Democratic Party booth and picked up an Obama for President button, which he proudly wore.)
In the early 1940's, Jim's parents sold their farm and moved to Butte, MT. With his CCC stint ended, Jim returned to Montana and he and his brother Rob went to work in the Mt. Con Copper Mine in Butte.
But WWII cut the mining job short, and in 1941 Jim joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps. (Brother Rob was killed in France during the war.)
"The recruiting sergeant," Jim wrote in his autobiography, "put me on a scale and found I didn't weigh enough, so he gave me a quarter - a quarter! - and told me to go get a banana and a quart of milk and then come back.
"Luckily, after eating the banana and drinking the milk I weighed enough, so I was sworn in."
Jim served in Africa, India and China during WWII, spending some time with the Flying Tigers.
Before the war ended, another event transpired that had a even bigger impact on his life than the CCC - while home on furlough he met a girl named Amy Lillian Reynolds. Jim relates in his autobiography what happened next:
"I was discharged from the Army in September 1945, and Lil and I wasted no time in getting married. We tied the knot on Oct.15 in Butte, Montana, where we first met. (They were to be husband and wife for almost 67 years.)
"At that time, my family lived in Seattle except for my oldest sister Mary and her family. They had moved from Seattle to Naches, where Mary's husband, Jess, had been given a cabinet shop by his retired grandfather. Jess offered to teach me what I needed to know to become a journeyman carpenter. So Lil and I moved to Naches."
Thus began Jim's career as a master carpenter. Jim did carpenter work in the Naches area until jobs became scarce, and in 1958 he and Lil and their two children, Shannon and Kenny, moved to Kennewick, WA.
Jim worked for a time on the Ice Harbor Dam, but soon began building houses. One of the houses he built was chosen as "Home of the Year" in Kennewick.
Then Jim noticed there were no garage door dealers in the Tri Cities area, so he decided to fill the gap. He and Lil founded the Gallagher Garage Door Co., which quickly became so successful that he was able to leave the house-building business.
Jim and Lil operated their business until they retired in 1985. They spent several winters in Arizona before they decided to move to Yakima in 2007.
"I haven't mentioned what is probably the best part of our lives - our 3 grandchildren," Jim wroted in his autobiography.
"Ken and his wife, Susan, gave us two beautiful granddaughters, Erin and Katie. Our oldest grandchild, Ethan, is the son of Shannon and her husband, Frank Owens. Frank passed away in November 1996.
"All 3 of our grandchildren lived next door to us in Kennewick while they were growning up, and we still enjoy them so much. Katies now the mother of our wonderful great-granddaughter, Tiana, who we don't see as much as we would like."
Jim's life was nearing an end when he wrote those words. But it must now be said: No one worked harder than Jim Gallagher. No one worked harder to make his work perfect than Jim Gallagher. And no one loved his family more than Jim Gallagher.
Jim suffered a stroke Sept. 5, 2012. He died on 9-11. He would have been 92 yrs. old in December.
There is no answer to Jim's question, "Where has that time gone?" But ask Lil, ask his children and grandchildren and all those who loved him, his relatives and friends, the people he worked for and built for, and they will tell you, it was time well spent.
Jim is survived by his widow, Lil; his daughter Shannon Ziegler of Gordon, PA; his son Kenny, of Kennewick; a brother, Mike Gallagher of Centralia, WA; a sister, Ann Caskey of Spokane, WA; and sisters Jean Buffone, June Foroe, Elsie Kraut, Catherine Stubsjoen, and Sharon Smith Shaffer, all of the Seattle area.
Jim was the 2nd child of 12, son of Michael Gallagher and Helen Gilruth.
Click below the pictures, where it says 17 more photos to see them all. You can click on the photo and it will enlarge and explain who's in the photo.
Memories of the "Life of Jim Gallagher," written by his brother-in-law, David Tishendorf.
On a cold December evening in 2010, Jim Gallagher of Yakima rose from his dinner table and looked around at his relatives, who had just sung "Happy Birthday" to him.
"I'm 90 years old," he said, almost as if he couldn't believe it himself. "Where has that time gone?"
Jim's "time" began Dec. 16, 1920, when he was born in St. Ignatius, MT, the son of Mike Gallagher, an Irish immigrant, and Helen Loretta Gilruth. He was one of 12 children, and throughout his life he was proud of his Irish heritage.
Mike Gallagher homesteaded a farm on the Flathead in Montana, where Jim spent his early years. In those days, everybody in the family worked hard, and they started young. It also was the beginning of Jim's lifelong love affair with Montana, even though he left the state as a young man.
"In the east," Jim wrote about the farm in his autobography, "were the beautiful snowcapped mountains where the sun came up." That was a sight to see. Lots of times we would all watch that sun as it headed for the sky and away it went to the golden west as the day ended.
"On one side of the homestead was the cow barn that had windows spaced 4 feet apart. That was where my brother Rob, my sister Mary, and I sat milking 3 cows each, twice a day."
In 1936, at the age of 16, Jim left Montana and went to visit an uncle in Pennsylvania. There he found work as a farmhand, earning a dollar a day. Two years later he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, where he spent the next two years.
The CCC had a profound impact on Jim, and he talked about it for the rest of his life. Not only did the CCC provide him with a decent job at a time when he badley needed one, it introduced him to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who created the CCC. Jim idolized FDR and became a staunch Democrat. (At a recent community celebration in Tieton, WA, Jim stopped at the Democratic Party booth and picked up an Obama for President button, which he proudly wore.)
In the early 1940's, Jim's parents sold their farm and moved to Butte, MT. With his CCC stint ended, Jim returned to Montana and he and his brother Rob went to work in the Mt. Con Copper Mine in Butte.
But WWII cut the mining job short, and in 1941 Jim joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps. (Brother Rob was killed in France during the war.)
"The recruiting sergeant," Jim wrote in his autobiography, "put me on a scale and found I didn't weigh enough, so he gave me a quarter - a quarter! - and told me to go get a banana and a quart of milk and then come back.
"Luckily, after eating the banana and drinking the milk I weighed enough, so I was sworn in."
Jim served in Africa, India and China during WWII, spending some time with the Flying Tigers.
Before the war ended, another event transpired that had a even bigger impact on his life than the CCC - while home on furlough he met a girl named Amy Lillian Reynolds. Jim relates in his autobiography what happened next:
"I was discharged from the Army in September 1945, and Lil and I wasted no time in getting married. We tied the knot on Oct.15 in Butte, Montana, where we first met. (They were to be husband and wife for almost 67 years.)
"At that time, my family lived in Seattle except for my oldest sister Mary and her family. They had moved from Seattle to Naches, where Mary's husband, Jess, had been given a cabinet shop by his retired grandfather. Jess offered to teach me what I needed to know to become a journeyman carpenter. So Lil and I moved to Naches."
Thus began Jim's career as a master carpenter. Jim did carpenter work in the Naches area until jobs became scarce, and in 1958 he and Lil and their two children, Shannon and Kenny, moved to Kennewick, WA.
Jim worked for a time on the Ice Harbor Dam, but soon began building houses. One of the houses he built was chosen as "Home of the Year" in Kennewick.
Then Jim noticed there were no garage door dealers in the Tri Cities area, so he decided to fill the gap. He and Lil founded the Gallagher Garage Door Co., which quickly became so successful that he was able to leave the house-building business.
Jim and Lil operated their business until they retired in 1985. They spent several winters in Arizona before they decided to move to Yakima in 2007.
"I haven't mentioned what is probably the best part of our lives - our 3 grandchildren," Jim wroted in his autobiography.
"Ken and his wife, Susan, gave us two beautiful granddaughters, Erin and Katie. Our oldest grandchild, Ethan, is the son of Shannon and her husband, Frank Owens. Frank passed away in November 1996.
"All 3 of our grandchildren lived next door to us in Kennewick while they were growning up, and we still enjoy them so much. Katies now the mother of our wonderful great-granddaughter, Tiana, who we don't see as much as we would like."
Jim's life was nearing an end when he wrote those words. But it must now be said: No one worked harder than Jim Gallagher. No one worked harder to make his work perfect than Jim Gallagher. And no one loved his family more than Jim Gallagher.
Jim suffered a stroke Sept. 5, 2012. He died on 9-11. He would have been 92 yrs. old in December.
There is no answer to Jim's question, "Where has that time gone?" But ask Lil, ask his children and grandchildren and all those who loved him, his relatives and friends, the people he worked for and built for, and they will tell you, it was time well spent.
Jim is survived by his widow, Lil; his daughter Shannon Ziegler of Gordon, PA; his son Kenny, of Kennewick; a brother, Mike Gallagher of Centralia, WA; a sister, Ann Caskey of Spokane, WA; and sisters Jean Buffone, June Foroe, Elsie Kraut, Catherine Stubsjoen, and Sharon Smith Shaffer, all of the Seattle area.
Click below the pictures, where it says 17 more photos to see them all. You can click on the photo and it will enlarge and explain who's in the photo.
Memories of the "Life of Jim Gallagher," written by his brother-in-law, David Tishendorf.
On a cold December evening in 2010, Jim Gallagher of Yakima rose from his dinner table and looked around at his relatives, who had just sung "Happy Birthday" to him.
"I'm 90 years old," he said, almost as if he couldn't believe it himself. "Where has that time gone?"
Jim's "time" began Dec. 16, 1920, when he was born in St. Ignatius, MT, the son of Mike Gallagher, an Irish immigrant, and Helen Loretta Gilruth. He was one of 12 children, and throughout his life he was proud of his Irish heritage.
Mike Gallagher homesteaded a farm on the Flathead in Montana, where Jim spent his early years. In those days, everybody in the family worked hard, and they started young. It also was the beginning of Jim's lifelong love affair with Montana, even though he left the state as a young man.
"In the east," Jim wrote about the farm in his autobography, "were the beautiful snowcapped mountains where the sun came up." That was a sight to see. Lots of times we would all watch that sun as it headed for the sky and away it went to the golden west as the day ended.
"On one side of the homestead was the cow barn that had windows spaced 4 feet apart. That was where my brother Rob, my sister Mary, and I sat milking 3 cows each, twice a day."
In 1936, at the age of 16, Jim left Montana and went to visit an uncle in Pennsylvania. There he found work as a farmhand, earning a dollar a day. Two years later he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, where he spent the next two years.
The CCC had a profound impact on Jim, and he talked about it for the rest of his life. Not only did the CCC provide him with a decent job at a time when he badley needed one, it introduced him to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who created the CCC. Jim idolized FDR and became a staunch Democrat. (At a recent community celebration in Tieton, WA, Jim stopped at the Democratic Party booth and picked up an Obama for President button, which he proudly wore.)
In the early 1940's, Jim's parents sold their farm and moved to Butte, MT. With his CCC stint ended, Jim returned to Montana and he and his brother Rob went to work in the Mt. Con Copper Mine in Butte.
But WWII cut the mining job short, and in 1941 Jim joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps. (Brother Rob was killed in France during the war.)
"The recruiting sergeant," Jim wrote in his autobiography, "put me on a scale and found I didn't weigh enough, so he gave me a quarter - a quarter! - and told me to go get a banana and a quart of milk and then come back.
"Luckily, after eating the banana and drinking the milk I weighed enough, so I was sworn in."
Jim served in Africa, India and China during WWII, spending some time with the Flying Tigers.
Before the war ended, another event transpired that had a even bigger impact on his life than the CCC - while home on furlough he met a girl named Amy Lillian Reynolds. Jim relates in his autobiography what happened next:
"I was discharged from the Army in September 1945, and Lil and I wasted no time in getting married. We tied the knot on Oct.15 in Butte, Montana, where we first met. (They were to be husband and wife for almost 67 years.)
"At that time, my family lived in Seattle except for my oldest sister Mary and her family. They had moved from Seattle to Naches, where Mary's husband, Jess, had been given a cabinet shop by his retired grandfather. Jess offered to teach me what I needed to know to become a journeyman carpenter. So Lil and I moved to Naches."
Thus began Jim's career as a master carpenter. Jim did carpenter work in the Naches area until jobs became scarce, and in 1958 he and Lil and their two children, Shannon and Kenny, moved to Kennewick, WA.
Jim worked for a time on the Ice Harbor Dam, but soon began building houses. One of the houses he built was chosen as "Home of the Year" in Kennewick.
Then Jim noticed there were no garage door dealers in the Tri Cities area, so he decided to fill the gap. He and Lil founded the Gallagher Garage Door Co., which quickly became so successful that he was able to leave the house-building business.
Jim and Lil operated their business until they retired in 1985. They spent several winters in Arizona before they decided to move to Yakima in 2007.
"I haven't mentioned what is probably the best part of our lives - our 3 grandchildren," Jim wroted in his autobiography.
"Ken and his wife, Susan, gave us two beautiful granddaughters, Erin and Katie. Our oldest grandchild, Ethan, is the son of Shannon and her husband, Frank Owens. Frank passed away in November 1996.
"All 3 of our grandchildren lived next door to us in Kennewick while they were growning up, and we still enjoy them so much. Katies now the mother of our wonderful great-granddaughter, Tiana, who we don't see as much as we would like."
Jim's life was nearing an end when he wrote those words. But it must now be said: No one worked harder than Jim Gallagher. No one worked harder to make his work perfect than Jim Gallagher. And no one loved his family more than Jim Gallagher.
Jim suffered a stroke Sept. 5, 2012. He died on 9-11. He would have been 92 yrs. old in December.
There is no answer to Jim's question, "Where has that time gone?" But ask Lil, ask his children and grandchildren and all those who loved him, his relatives and friends, the people he worked for and built for, and they will tell you, it was time well spent.
Jim is survived by his widow, Lil; his daughter Shannon Ziegler of Gordon, PA; his son Kenny, of Kennewick; a brother, Mike Gallagher of Centralia, WA; a sister, Ann Caskey of Spokane, WA; and sisters Jean Buffone, June Foroe, Elsie Kraut, Catherine Stubsjoen, and Sharon Smith Shaffer, all of the Seattle area.
