Karen E. Gallagher, 69, of Bear, DE, died peacefully at Christiana Hospital on Sunday, August 21, 2022, of pneumonia.
She was predeceased by her parents, Henry and Matilda Gallagher, and she is survived by her brother, Henry Gallagher Jr. (Geri), of Wilmington, her sister, Gerry G. Durisin (George), of Mount Laurel, NJ, her niece Kristin Gallagher Chambers of Wilmington, her nephew Henry Gallagher III (Julia) of Park City, UT, her niece Dana Boillon (Dan) of Jersey City, NJ, and her niece Erin Davis (Colin) of Somerdale, NJ, and three grand-nephews and four grand-nieces.
Karen lived for her first 25 years with her parents and then became one of the first residents of the Mary Campbell Center for disabled adults, where she remained for her next quarter-century. Her independent spirit next led her to move into her own apartment in Bear, where she lived for about 20 years until her passing. She was active in the disability community, which she served as a member of the Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council, the Delaware Nursing Home Residents Quality Assurance Commission, the board of directors of United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware, Inc., and other similar organizations. Although limited in her physical mobility, Karen enjoyed music, poetry, theater, movies, television, and travel when she had the opportunity.
As a final gesture of Karen’s kindness, her corneas were donated to help others preserve or regain their sight. Karen’s family is grateful for the compassionate care Karen received for 20 years from the team at Community Systems, Inc. (most recently from Barbara, Carmen, Marcella, Vinisha, and Emelia), who enabled Karen to live as independently as possible.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Karen’s funeral service and burial next to her late parents will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in Karen’s name to Community Systems, Inc. (New Castle Corporate Commons, 2 Penns Way, Suite 301, New Castle, DE 19720, or https://communitysystems.org) or Salesianum School (1801 N. Broom St., Wilmington, DE 19802, or https://www.Salesianum.org).