In loving memory

3/24/1920 - 7/6/2015

Location: Spokane Valley, Washington

Visits: 2,071

George witnessed nearly a century of remarkable change during his 95 years of life. He was born near Loon Lake, Washington in a log cabin without running water or electricity. As his mother, Edith Gallaher (1895-1987), went into labor his father, Oliver Crawford Gallaher II (1888-1966), rode off on the family horse to fetch the doctor. The family moved to Palouse, Washington in 1923 and George grew up with his two big brothers, Lester (1915-1985), Floyd (1916-2000) and his little sister Marjorie (1923- ).

George came of age during the Great Depression. As a teenager he helped run the printing presses at the Palouse Republic and delivered the Spokesman-Review newspaper. In 1939, he won a Spokesman-Review trip to the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco - quite an adventure for a small town boy. He enjoyed going to the Palouse Theater every Saturday to watch the latest newsreels and feature movies. George was a member of the Palouse High School graduating class of 1939.

In early 1941, he met Washington State College (now W.S.U.) student Jean Hoobler on a blind date and they were engaged one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor. With the onset of World War II, George enlisted in the U.S. Navy and after Boot Camp in San Diego was stationed at the Naval Hospital in Long Beach, California. George and Jean were married on September 17, 1942 in Long Beach and began 55 years of marriage together until Jean passed away suddenly in November 1997. George served two tours of duty in the South and Central Pacific including the islands of Guadalcanal, Vella Lavella, Green, Saipan, and Tinian. George served to protect our most basic freedoms and witnessed the tragedy of war firsthand. He also wrote an account of his wartime experiences to share.

While on Guadacanal, George became fascinated by a novel ice machine that served the military base. After the war ended, George completed a 2 year refrigeration program at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. In 1948, George and Jean moved to Spokane, Washington where George had a successful 35 year career in the commercial refrigeration business. In 2010, George was co-inventor with his Spokane family of the Zip 2 Water Mobile Filtration System (U.S. Patent #8,714,411) that has helped to eliminate millions of single-use water bottles in North America.

George and Jean were immensely proud of their three sons and their families. Son Ken was born in Milwaukee in 1946 and earned chemistry degrees at W.S.U. and Cornell University. Ken married Irene Chang in 1974 and they are now retired in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Granddaughter Amanda was born to Ken and Irene in 1988, earned degrees in Neuroscience and Public Health at the University of Michigan, and is now a Registered Dietician in the Ann Arbor area. George celebrated Amanda’s marriage to Adam Mael in 2014.

Son Don was born in Spokane in 1948 and earned an engineering degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Don managed computer information systems for several companies in Oregon and California and moved to Spokane in 2002 to be closer to George. Don was a Master Contract Bridge player and died of cancer in 2005.

Son Bruce was born in Spokane in 1961 and earned engineering and business degrees at the University of Washington and Stanford University. Bruce married Pamela McCarty in 1988 with Gail born in 1995 and Grant born in 1996. In 2005, Bruce, Pam, Gail and Grant left California to move in with George so that he could live out his life in his own home. George lived to see both Gail and Grant graduate as valedictorians from West Valley High School. Gail attends Pomona College in Claremont, California and Grant will attend Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington after a gap year doing aid work in Nepal.

Family meals in recent years have often included conversations on the changes George had seen in his lifetime: Movies (black & white to color in the Wizard of Oz); phones (hand-crank party lines to Skype); outer space (1939 War of the Worlds broadcast to 1969 Moon Landing); kitchen stoves (wood-fired to microwave), and many more.

George and Jean traveled extensively after retirement, meeting people and experiencing cultures so different from their own. They were active for many years at Opportunity Presbyterian Church and cherished their many friends there. Over the past 10 years, Pam has made sure that George stayed active and social with daily walks around the block and the Spokane Valley Mall, and weekly games of dominoes and bingo at the Spokane Valley Senior Center. Pam has been George’s chief advocate and caregiver over the past 10 years and was truly his angel.

George passed away peacefully on July 6, 2015 in his home of 58 years with family by his side. Soft swing music was playing for George and Jean’s first dance in almost 18 years. George will be interred beside Jean and son Don at Spokane Memorial Gardens. There will be a Celebration of Life for family and friends in August. In George’s memory, please support the causes that you are most passionate about, 2nd Harvest Food Bank or Hospice of Spokane.