Mae Elizabeth Gallagher

Mae passed away Tuesday evening at Mahaska Health Partnership in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Mae Elizabeth Gallagher, the third daughter of eleven children of Ted and Gusta (Nehring) Dittmer, was born, November 26, 1923, at the home of her parents in rural Colesburg, Iowa. Mae was a 1941 graduate of Colesburg High School and a 1944 graduate of Iowa State Teachers College (U.N.I.). Mae’s first teaching job was in Eddyville, Iowa where she taught elementary education. She soon met a young farmer, John Lloyd Gallagher, Jr., and they were married, July 28, 1946, in Colesburg. They returned to Eddyville and Mae continued her teacher career and John farmed. In the early 1960’s, they built a home on Berdan Extension where she enjoyed the peace and beauty of the country. Mae taught for more than 30 years at Eddyville School. Her passion was to instill the thirst of knowledge in children. In addition to her teaching career, her desire was actualized by serving on the Eddyville Library board and her service as Sunday school superintendent at the Eddyville United Methodist Church where she was a member for many years. She was presently a member at Central United Methodist Church in Oskaloosa and a member of P.E.O. Chapter DG. Mae also had a passion for older people and she volunteered for many years at the Oakwood Estates and Monroe Care Center in Albia and then at Tower Park and Mahaska Manor in Oskaloosa. Mae and John moved to Oskaloosa in 1999 and on November 24, 2000, John passed away. Mae’s family includes her three sons and daughters-in-law: Ted C. and Marie Gallagher of North English, Tom Gallagher of Redfield and Dan and Shirlee Gallagher of Oskaloosa; a grandson Sean and Paula Gallagher of Redfield; four step-grandchildren: Laura and Robert Kibbe, Greg and Chelsey Johnson, Lynne Johnson, Mary Jo and James Mahan; and eleven great-grandchildren. She is also survived by eight brothers and sisters: Martin and Kathleen Dittmer of Iowa Falls, Mary Brobst of Palo Alto, CA, Alice Leutjen of Lake Oswego, OR, Dorothy and Bill Fisher of Swisher, Ruth and Lyle Hageman of Gainesville, VA, John and Elaine Dittmer of Cary, NC, Jean and Paul Larson of Greensboro, NC and Jane Vaughn of Vacaville, CA. In addition to her parents and her husband, Mae was preceded in death by a daughter, Linda Kay Gallagher on January 24, 1997, and two sisters: Virginia Sprague and Wilma Wessel. Funeral Services for Mae will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, January 18, 2014, at Garland-van Arkel-Langkamp Funeral Chapel with Rev. Roger Wright of the Eddyville United Methodist Church officiating. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery near Eddyville. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m., Friday morning; the family will be at the funeral chapel from 4-6 p.m. to greet visitors. Memorials may be made to the Eddyville Elementary School Library. PDF Printable Version

Mae Elizabeth Gallagher

November 26, 1923 - January 14, 2014