Charles Wesley Galloway Jr.

1927 - 2020

Charles Wesley Galloway Jr.

Richmond, CA - Wes was born June 14, 1927 in Richmond, California. Eldest son of Charles Wesley Galloway, Sr. of Idaho and Florence Lane Austin of Mississippi. Preceded in death by siblings Lillian Galloway Best, Gerald Galloway, Hazel Galloway Richards, and one daughter Mary Jane Thurmond. Survived by youngest brother Darold Galloway.

Wes passed on April 19, 2020 of natural causes at the age of 92. Memorial and church services will be at the Ivins UT Veterans Retirement Home at a date to be announced.

Wes grew up in Logan, Utah, and went to Logan High School. He graduated from Utah State College in Logan, with a Bachelors Degree in Science majoring in Physics.

He was the father of three daughters: LeAnne Roberts, Mary Jane Thurmond and Kathleen Galloway; he had nine grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren (so far.) He was married and divorced three times: wives Jean Brown, Adele Rogers, and Georgia Reed. He was baptized in the LDS Church and served faithfully in various capacities.

Wes had a long and honorable military service. He went to his first government job at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden at age 17, to support the family after his father's death in 1945. He was drafted into the Navy in World War II and briefly stationed at Adak Island in the Aleutians. Seaman First Class, early Honorable Discharge June 10, 1946. Wes joined the Air Force during the Korean War in the 509th Aviation Squadron. Commissioned as Second Lieutenant Air Force. Honorable Discharge September 3, 1953.

He trained at the AFB in Roswell, NM, in the Air Force Nuclear Field, then proceeded to Los Alamos for training to handle the nuclear components of the atomic bomb. Later stationed at Walker AFB assigned as Western Continental United States (CONUS) Nuclear and Radiation Safety Officer. At the Indian Springs, NV, Atomic Test Site he was tasked to fly via helicopter into Ground Zero of a test blast, back and forth, while measuring levels of radiation. He received an over-abundance of radiation when the geiger counter went off the scale.

The bulk of Wes' engineering career was 22 years at Douglas Aircraft Co. in Santa Monica, CA, including Section Chief in charge of hydraulic fluids development, and Branch Chief in charge of mechanical laboratories. Wes was noted for work on the DC-8. He then spent nine years at NASA, near Houston, TX, working on the Space Shuttle Orbiter Program, Space Shuttle Columbia and Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise. He then had ten years of service in the Army Corps of Engineers.

Wes was a member of several professional societies including the American Physical Society, American Institute of Physics, and American Society of Civil Engineers. He received numerous awards. He was an innovator and inventor with two registered Patents: The first obtained while at Douglas for a hydraulic seal used on the DC-8, the second while working at NASA, for his invention of a Hot Gas Hydraulic Pump.

He is remembered by his family and friends for his sharp sense of humor and for always "doing the right thing". He loved children, animals, bicycling, nature and flowers. He was a wonderful father and grandfather who always helped out when needed, who taught and led by example, with hard work, kindness, love and honesty. Wes will be dearly missed by all.