The Gallaghers of Ballinrobe

Patsy worked for many years as a
nurse at St. Francis Hospital. John
was a lawyer in the Delaware
Attorney General's Office and in
private practice. He made the
front page of the Wilmington
paper in January 1979 when
things went wrong at his office.
potential buyers with his helpfulness that I was asked on a
number of occasions whether Mike came with the house.”
Patsy remembers her father getting a boost in his
varied career when St. Francis Hospital was planning an
August 1964 gathering to show off its new addition to
doctors and other important individuals before the official
opening. A supervising nun knew Patsy's father had some
experience tending bar and asked if he might be able to
help. She said they had a bottle of B&B liqueur and one of
Irish whiskey and wondered if that would be enough.
Hardly. The call for assistance came on Saturday afternoon,
with the event set for Sunday. In a Homeric effort, Uncle
Mike used all his ingenuity and charm to drive around town
gathering all that was needed, including cleaning out a
friendly local bar before closing time. He drafted his son
John, nephew Pete and soon-to-be son-in-law Leon to help.
St. Francis Administrator Sister St. Kevin was delighted
with the outcome. A doctor told Patsy that Monday that
despite Sister's pleading with the crowd to get on with the
tour, no one wanted to budge. “They all wanted to stay and
have a party,” he said. The party was a big hit with the
doctors, Duponts and future Mayor Hal Haskell “two
fingers at a time.”
Uncle Mike's employers would go on to include
prominent Delawareans Caesar Grasselli and Aaron
Handloff, as well as the Clubhouse at Delaware Park. He
worked as an independent agent for institutions including
the Ingleside retirement home on North Franklin Street in
Wilmington, The Mendenhall Inn, and the Vicmead and
University and Whist clubs. For those roles, Uncle Mike
would often be impeccably dressed in a tuxedo. He knew
that the apparel oft proclaims the man.
One occasion when Uncle Mike was in his tux
was when his wife and daughter visited him at Delaware
Park. Patsy remembers the exuberance her father showed
while rooting on the entry he had backed as the horses
came down the stretch in the day's final race. He was not
happy when his horse lost. He raged about how anyone
could have bet on the poor excuse for a racehorse that had
won the race. Aunt Delia, with a quiet smile and some
satisfaction, slowly held up her winning ticket for her
husband to see. A shoe may have been tossed.
FAMILY AND GOODBYES
Through the decades, Aunt Delia could rely on the
bonds with her brothers and sisters. They would have
shared the sorrow of the passing of both their parents in
1942, and worries about the safety of Tom and Pat as they
served in the military during World War II. But they also
76