Charles Albert Gallagher, a resident of Richardson, Texas for 57 years, passed away unexpectedly at his home on December 22, surrounded by family. He was 90. Born in his parents’ house in Lodi, Oklahoma on March 29, 1933, he was the only son of Earl and Faye (Johnson) Gallagher. He was known to friends, family and colleagues simply as “Chuck.”

Chuck grew up in Red Oak, Oklahoma, coming from humble roots as a child of the Depression Era from a family who were considered “Okies” in the cultural-historical sense of the term. A gifted, multi-sport high school athlete in small-town Oklahoma, Chuck went on to play basketball at Eastern Oklahoma State College, where he spent two seasons before being recruited by head coach George McCarty to play at Texas Western College (now UTEP) from 1953-55. An athletic wing who could both handle and bang on the blocks, Chuck drew Western’s interest thanks to his sharpshooter set shot. 

He was immensely proud of having played for a program that a decade later stunned the University of Kentucky in the 1966 NCAA final when Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins sent the first all-Black starting five in college basketball history onto the floor in the title game. Chuck often noted that it was his former coach, McCarty, who hired Haskins before he led UTEP to its only national championship.

Chuck possessed a fiery, competitive nature on the court, but in life his bearing was profoundly understated. He personified the strong, silent, cool of a saddlesore matinee idol. That manner and mien captured the heart of his high school classmate and valedictorian, LaNelle Solomon. The two became sweethearts, and they married in 1953. “Nell” supported the young couple during Chuck’s final year of school, working at the FBI office in El Paso, where she took shorthand on calls that included J. Edgar Hoover. For 70 years, one seldom saw Chuck without Nell by his side.

Chuck read any newspaper he could get his hands on from front to back. He was a devoted fan of the Cowboys and Mavericks and sometime admirer of the Spurs. He shared his son Greg’s love of all things automotive and welcomed his daughter Christa’s keen interest in sharing their home with West Highland White Terriers. He was also an intuitive and tactically gifted bridge player, excelling at the game’s fusion of human connection, math and logic.

Gallagher will be remembered for his savant-like ability to offer driving directions, usually accompanied by an intricately drawn map that included mileages, landmarks, lane changes and other characteristics of the route. Likewise, he himself was passionate about conquering the open road and wouldn’t hesitate to jump behind the wheel for a 1,000-mile journey.

The vice president of his class at Red Oak High, Gallagher came of age as the Korean War raged, and volunteered for the US Army not long after graduating college. With the Cold War deepening, he was stationed in West Germany as part of an artillery unit for almost two years from 1956 to 1958.

Trained as an industrial engineer, Gallagher earned his first job at the Maytag headquarters in Newton, Iowa, where he continued to play basketball for the company team. After settling in Texas in 1966, he helped usher in the Information Age at Collins Radio in Richardson, which manufactured radio equipment with applications that served users from ham radio operators to NASA. Gallagher later worked in the electric utility sector before retiring as an anchor of the management team at Chemsearch, FE, a facility resource management company based in Irving.

In retirement, he spent much of his time with and around family and enjoyed annual trips to the Delaware shore for a number of years. But for Gallagher, the social highlight of his calendar was  the summertime family reunion in Walnut Springs, Texas, which drew attendees every year from all over Texas and Louisiana as well as Canada, New England and Indiana. The event allowed him to indulge in two of his favorites: pineapple upside down cake and homemade peach ice cream. Be that as it may, he would object to the notion that either of those treats was the equal of his wife’s chocolate or coconut meringue pies.  

Chuck was predeceased by his younger sister, June. He is survived by LaNelle (Solomon) Gallagher, his wife of 70 years, his daughter, Christa, and his son, Greg, grandchildren Taylor (Gallagher) Baumann and her husband, Jeff, Stockton Gallagher and his wife, Taylor, Michael Gallagher and his fiancée, Brianna Faith, as well as four great-grandchildren.