Dr. Joseph C. Gallagher Jr.

GALLAGHER 1944~2018 Joseph Charles Gallagher, Jr., D.O. was born on September 29, 1944 in Philadelphia, PA and passed away peacefully surrounded by family on November 4, 2018 in Sarasota, FL. Dr. Gallagher had a long and distinguished career as a physician, a prominent surgeon and veteran of the United States Army. He and his family grew up in South Philadelphia and spent their summers in Longport, NJ. He graduated from LaSalle High School and, later, St. Joseph's College. He then proceeded to postgraduate studies in medicine at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), New Jersey College of Medicine, and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. During the Vietnam War, he served as a Captain in the Army at the Brooke Army Medical Center treating burn victims and trauma patients. He was Board Certified in orthopedic surgery, and held professional appointments as Adjunct Clinical Professor, Director of Residency Training and Chief Orthopedic Surgeon for PCOM at Mercy Suburban General Hospital and was president of the American Association for Osteopathic Surgeons (1990-92). In 1993, he was awarded Orthopedic Surgeon of the Year by the AAOS. He would later transition into cosmetic surgery where he maintained his own thriving practice, the Gallagher Medical Institute for hair restoration surgery, and he served as a longtime active member of the International Hair Restoration Society. Additionally, he held appointments for the Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine as Vice Chairman in 2007 and Chairman of the Board from 2008-2012. In, 2015, he also began working at Hair Transplants of Florida in Fort Myers, FL. "Doc" was a man of action, honor, faith, and love. He took a very special interest in veterans and at all times wanted to assist in any way possible. He loved to travel, play tennis, and he really loved his profession which was, in his words, his "hobby". He loved telling stories, making people laugh and viewed the friendships in his life as invaluable. Above all, he loved his family, whether it meant spending time together on vacation, or simply enjoying conversation and laugher at the dinner table. He was predeceased by his brother Garrett Gaulden Gallagher, sister Maryanne Bell his father Joseph Charles Gallagher Sr., mother Mary Dowd Gallagher, and brother in-law Charles Reilly. He is survived by his adoring wife, Michele, and five beloved children: Chris Anderson, Joseph Gallagher, Mary Kielty Gallagher Nivaud, Seth Gallagher and Shane Gallagher, three sisters: Bernadine Reilly, Eileen Konecke, and Jane Goggin, and five grandchildren, and many cousins, nieces and nephews