Obituaries
In the game of life, Stella (Silvius) Gallagher was a winner. (Not the actual board game Life, because she preferred card games and taking pennies from her grandchildren in Tonk. And no, she did not actually take money from her grandkids since they all played with pennies she provided. But she did like winning.)
Not only did Stella live to be 103, but she was blessed to live and enjoy life up until the very end. She walked nearly every day and was never opposed to splitting a beer for happy hour. She lived independently and only bemoaned the fact that her kitchen floor was sometimes dusty because she could no longer get down on her hands and knees to clean it as well as she could when she was 99. She was a lifelong resident of Catasauqua and lived much of her life within blocks of where she was born, but she travelled extensively in the United States, visited Egypt and Ireland, and would have swum in the Dead Sea except she never learned to swim and did not want to drown and have the sea live up to its name.
Stella often said that when she married Charles Gallagher, also of Catasauqua, it was the luckiest day of her life. She had three sons with her husband—Charles, James, and Joseph. The pride she took in them was inspiring, and as they all became successful in the arts (Charles as an actor and poet; James as a painter and sculptor; Joseph as a photographer) she wondered where their talents came from because she insisted that she had so very little to offer them or the world. Of course, this modesty belied the fact that what she provided to her sons and their families was a profound love that was foundational in their abilities to succeed. She was also a living example of one who strove to enjoy life to its fullest, offering quick perspective in her mantra of: “It could be worse.”
Stella was a member of Salem UCC in Catasauqua and attended Sunday service religiously (which is the preferred way to attend church). She would get rides from her “church friends”- Ed, Lynn, Dan, Nan, Pat, and Barbara - to services and then to breakfast where they never let her pay for their breakfast or her own. She loved these friends, and she loved attending church. She just wished that once they’d let her buy them breakfast for all the rides they provided.
She was the daughter of Harvey and Mabel (Keller) Silvius and is pre-deceased by her sisters Eleanor, Emma, Helen, Mabel, Mildred, Clara, and brother Harvey, Jr. She is survived by her youngest sibling, Charles “Chippy”. She was pre-deceased by her husband Charles and her son Charles and his wife Ellen. She is survived by her sons James (Kelly) and Joseph (Linda), and by nine grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.
A memorial visitation will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2024 at Salem U.C.C. 615 3rd Street, Catasauqua, PA. (610) 264-4091 from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Funeral service officiated by Pastor Mike Smith will immediately commence in the church at 12 pm. Interment to follow funeral service at St. Lawrence Cemetery in N. Catasauqua.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Salem UCC or to Lehigh Valley Hospice. Or simply look at a sunrise or a sunset and appreciate the beauty and the joy that each day has to offer. Not many live to be 103, but Stella taught all who knew her that living each day with a zest for life’s blessings, however small, is the best use of our short time.
Online memories and condolences for the family may be shared at www.brubakerfuneralhome.com. Brubaker Funeral Home, Inc. of Catasauqua is honored to handle the arrangements.
Previous Events
Visitation
9
Nov
615 3rd Street
Catasauqua, pa 18032
Funeral Service
9
Nov
615 3rd Street
Catasauqua, pa 18032
Cemetery Details
Location
Lincoln Street and Grove Street
N.Catasauqua, Pa 18032
