Arnold, CA…Dave was preceded in death by his mother Kay, father Jerry, and brother Kevin Gallagher. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Helen [Sollie] Gallagher; daughter Jennifer, sons David Jr. and Joseph Gallagher, and 8 grandchildren; sister-in-law Barbara Gallagher, nieces Kelly and Leigh, nephew Sean and their families; cousins Linda, Susan, Lori and their families; and a large extended Gallagher Family.

Dave grew up in the Sunset District of San Francisco. A Cub Scout and Boy Scout, he graduated from St. Gabriel School, A.P. Giannini Jr. High, Abraham Lincoln High School (’70), and City College of San Francisco. Dave played football and was on the swim team in high school. His parents bought a cabin in Monte Rio (Russian River) in the late ‘60s, where Dave spent his summers as a lifeguard on the beach. He was studying criminology at CCSF but switched to a butcher apprenticeship program when he started his family. He was employed by Safeway as a meat cutter for 32 years, serving in almost all of the stores in San Francisco, as well as several on The Peninsula.

Dave first visited Arnold in the ‘70s, when he would bring his children to visit their aunt, Lynn Sheen. They skied Mt. Reba in the winter and visited local landmarks throughout the other seasons. Dave and Helen bought their retirement home in Arnold in 2002. In 2007, Dave retired from Safeway and launched his volunteer career. He was a Board Member of Meadowmont Property Owners’ Association (1421 properties) starting in 2008, serving as Vice President before becoming President in 2020, until his recent death. Dave was also a volunteer at the Jumping Frog Jubilee where under the tutelage of Larry Thompson, he learned to fill Larry’s shoes as Director of the “Frog Spa”. His favorite part of the job was going to all the elementary schools in the County, taking part in assemblies teaching students about Mark Twain during the Gold Rush and the connection to frogs.

Volunteerism didn’t end there, for Dave. When there were two attempted break-ins in our neighborhood in one week, we worked with the Sheriffs Dept. and organized a Neighborhood Watch that continues to this day. One day, Dave saw an article in the Enterprise about volunteers needed for Clean-Up Day at White Pines Park. That led to further involvement and Bill and Ginny Kafka asked him to join the Board of the White Pines Park Committee, where he was elected Treasurer. Through his involvement with the Ebbetts Pass Property Owners Council, he met Merita Callaway, who recruited him to join the Murphys Friends Free Christmas Day Dinner volunteers, carving turkeys, doing garbage duty, running errands and any other tasks he was called upon to do! He also did his bit for other annual events such as the Grape Stomp, Arnold Auto Show, parades, CalFire V.I.P. inspections, and more, including extending a helping hand to friends and neighbors whenever needed.

In 2024, Bertha Underhill (our longtime CCWD District Director) brought all this volunteerism together and nominated Dave for the Calaveras County Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year Award. People involved in these organizations wrote many letters of endorsement for the nomination. Dave felt he volunteered because he enjoyed it and didn’t think it was worthy of recognition, but in the end, he did humbly receive the award.

For eleven months, Dave fought small-cell lung cancer with chemo, radiation and immuno-therapy treatments. His Memorial Celebration of Life will be held at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds (south of Angels Camp) at the Pavillion (next to the Ranch House) on April 4, 2026, at 2:00pm, followed by light refreshments and an open mic. No flowers, please. Donations may be made in Dave’s name to your favorite charity or to Friends of the Calaveras County Fairgrounds www.frogtown.org, White Pines Park Committee www.WhitePinesPark.com, or Raye of Sunshine Ministries www.BigTreesChurch.com.

If you are unable to attend, the Memorial will be recorded and posted on YouTube. Go to www.BigTreesChurch.com for viewing instructions.