Dean

Gallaher

Albert "Dean" Gallaher, loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on the morning of January 2, 2020. He is survived by his wife, Tresa Gallaher and his children Dave Gallaher (Barb), Kim Engen (Bob), Lesa Skipper (Bill), and Amber Holshouser (Stephen) with a bonus daughter Misti Hudson (James). Dean was Papa, Papa Jerk, or Grandpa to 16 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death, by his parents Albert and Dolly Gallaher and siblings Donald, Arnold, and Maxine. Dean was born on May 31, 1927 in Logan, Iowa on the McCord Farm. He went from feeding the chickens at age 6 to working at a local grocery store at age 14 and then joined the Merchant Marines at age 17 following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He then transferred to the Army one year later because they would not take him at 17. After his WWII service, Dean went to Omaha University where he studied Business and Insurance Law and worked for World Insurance Company in Omaha, Nebraska. He later served two terms as Assistant Insurance Commissioner for the State of Oklahoma from 1983 to 1991 and served as Chairman of the Oklahoma Employees Insurance Board for four years, the United Methodist Conference Insurance and Pension Committee for eight years, and Chairman for the Oklahoma Small Employers Health Reinsurance Program for four years. After retiring from state government service, Dean and Tresa opened their own Third Party Claim Administration company under the name of D&T which was later sold in 2002. Dean was beloved by all who knew and worked with him. He will be missed by all who were touched by this gentle giant. The family will hold a memorial service for friends and family at 2:00 PM, Saturday, January 4, 2020, at the First United Methodist church in Blanchard. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Harris Grove Memorial Chapel, c/o Logan First National Bank, P.O. Box 7, Logan, IA 51546, or to The American Cancer Society or Saint Jude's Hospital. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Eisenhour Funeral Home of Blanchard. Online obituary and guestbook are available at www.eisenhourfh.com.