John Gallen’s Obituary, Death Cause – When I heard about the unexpected demise of my buddy John Charles Galleni, I was left in a state of shock and sadness. When we initially worked together, there was an instant connection between us. He certainly had that effect on everyone he came in contact with.
We met at Westmed. His energy was infectious, his personality was one of a kind to a one-hundredth of a percent, his mischief was unavoidable, and his comedy was so wildly inappropriate and dark. You should have known from the beginning that working with or spending time with him would be an exciting adventure.
By the time we reached the middle of our first shift working together, we had been laughing constantly and had exchanged stories that should have been way too personal for a pair of strangers to relate, but I believed I could share anything with him since I was in a secure environment.
One of my fondest memories is when Theresa and I would get back to the station after hours of running back-to-back calls on our 24-plus hour shifts to discover that JC had prepared our beds. This is something that I will never forget since it is one of the things that I will always remember.
The bottom should have fuzzy blankets, the corner should be turned over so that it is simple to get in and out of bed, garments should be folded, and slippers or shoes should be put up at the end of the bed. It wasn’t anything that happened just once; rather, he did it each and every time he was there and had some time to kill before starting his night shift. His attentiveness could not be equaled by anybody else.
It was always so endearing to hear him talk about his daughter and wife, Heidi Lynn Galleni because he loved them both so very much and they meant the world to him.
I’ll miss the entirely unrelated facts or words he’d share with us and let us know that they were “absolutely a thing.”
It has been an incredible pleasure getting to know you, JC, and it is an honor to be able to call myself another “baby sis” to you. Goodbye, friend.
