John “Jack” Gallahue, the father of former Brooklyn Paper reporter Patrick Gallahue — and a best-selling author, teacher, psychotherapist and world traveler — died this week of cardiac arrest. He was 76.
In addition to fathering our much-loved journalist, Gallahue is best known as the author of “The Jesuit,” a best-selling mystery novel in 1973 that may have been inspired by his experience in a Jesuit seminary in New England.
Gallahue, who died on Aug. 27, had lived his entire life in Manhattan, but traveled the world, his son said.
“He was born on West 110th Street and lived the last 20 years of his life on West 110th Street,” Patrick Gallahue said. “In between that, he traveled, taught at Columbia and the New School and counseled homeless people. He really was a great guy.”
The funeral was on Thursday at Corpus Christi Church in Manhattan and the burial was at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in upstate Hawthorne, New York, where Babe Ruth, James Cagney, Dutch Schultz and Fred Allen are also buried.
Gallahue is survived by his wife, Susan Gallahue; his sons Patrick and Sean and daughter Fiona; a granddaughter, Tegan; and his former wife, Martha Gallahue.
In lieu of flowers, Patrick Gallahue suggested donations to charities that serve the homeless, a particularly important cause to his father.
