Mary A Galloway, 77, of Galesburg, IL passed away peacefully at home in the presence of her family on January 24, 2021, at 6:20 pm.
Mary was born January 11, 1944, to John & Pauline McGahey. She married William C Galloway on March 2, 1968, at First Baptist Church.
She is survived by her loving & devoted husband Bill of 52 years, two children Jeff (Margaret) Galloway of Oneida, IL, and Jayleen Galloway of Galesburg, IL. Nine grandchildren Devin (Jiyou) Galloway, Maeghan (Charlie) Deutsch, Ryan (Sabrina) Galloway, Kylie (Nick) Galloway, Brittany Galloway, Lakin (David) Galloway, Tralee Galloway, Taliya Galloway, Sariah Galloway, and 2 great-grandchildren Mason Jeffrey & August Elliot. She is also survived by many nieces & nephews all of whom she loved dearly.
Mary was the youngest of 11 children born to John & Pauline McGahey. She was preceded in death by her parents & 10 siblings: Brothers, Jay (Betty) McGahey, John (Jean) McGahey, Freddie (Joni) McGahey & Sisters Isabelle Gibbs, Shirley Edwards, Clarcey White, Doris Ray, Birdie (Bill) Pietsch, Bette (Butch) Smith & Patsy Mitchell.
Mary was born & raised in Galesburg, IL attending Galesburg schools and a member of First Baptist Church for many years. She worked at Maytag in her younger years, where she met & later married the love of her life. Mary was a housewife who prided herself on being a loving wife, mother & nana. She helped her sister Doris who owned “The Lantern” in Knoxville, IL for 16 years. She cared for her oldest sister, Shirley, for many years and was deemed more of a daughter to Shirley, than a sister. A caregiver at heart, always looking out for her family, friends & neighbors over the years.
She loved to cook, clean, plant flowers, garden, read & play bingo. She enjoyed spending time with her family & attending the events of her grandchildren. If you had the pleasure of knowing Mary, you know her grandchildren have always been her pride & joy.
Dementia/Alzheimer’s may have slowly robbed this beautiful soul of her memory and who she once was, but her family will forever cherish all the memories & time spent together.
A graveside memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2021, at 10:00 am in East Linwood Cemetery, Elder Bonnie King will officiate. Arrangements have been entrusted to Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory, Galesburg. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, First Baptist Church, or Hospice Compassus. Online expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.watsonthomas.com.
