Richard Gallimore

Richard Eugene Gallimore, passed away Friday, January 15 at the age of 71. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas to Margaret Clairee and Robert Lee Gallimore. Richard graduated from Arlington Heights High School, then went on to attend University of Texas at Arlington. On August 1, 1969 at the age of 19, he married Judy Kay Holland and spent the rest of his life loving and providing for her and their children.  Richard spent nearly 50 years working in retail management, ultimately retiring in 2014. He spent his retirement years at his favorite getaway, Lake Fork, which he and Judy made their home. Richard is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Judy Kay, of Emory; his mother Margaret Spearman, 93, of Fort Worth; sisters Linda Carol Hudgens, Nancy Jane Brewer (husband Kirvin), and Cheryl Ann Garner, all of Fort Worth. Richard is also survived by his three children to whom he meant the world – Shawn Gallimore (wife Carol) of Princeton; Stacey Granhold (fiancé Keith Spangler) of Paris; Shannon Diers (husband Peter) of Keller. Richard was a beloved PaPa to his seven grandchildren – Michelle St. John (husband Mikel) and Courtney Shepherd (husband Robert); Zachary, Jacob and Madelyne Granhold, and Christopher and Kathryn Bird. He recently was able to enjoy the experience of being a great-grandfather with three new additions to the family and a fourth on the way (Gideon Mikel St. John, Ava Grace Granhold, Paxton Joe Shepherd, Baby St. John coming soon).

That is the Richard on paper. THIS is his legacy. To say Dad was a man of faith is an understatement. He was a church deacon, a role model and mentor to young men volunteering his time with Ras and teaching the College and Career church group with Mom. Our home was continually open for get-togethers, for family, friends, and members of the church to gather and fellowship. Dad led every prayer, every outing and, no question, was the head of our home. He helped organize a fundraiser to buy our pastor a car as a surprise. He was nicknamed King Richard after friends saw how Mom doted on and cared for him. His work ethic was undeniable, something he modeled and passed down to each of us kids. He was a man of high morals and standards, unmatched integrity, and fairness. Dad was an amazing father – attending all his son’s football games as an Allen Eagle, cheering and coaching him from the stands. He posed with his daughters after their ballet recitals, and we lost count on the posterboards he brought home from work for school projects. He loved to laugh, his blue eyes always bright, and he was always ready for a joke. Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream was his weakness. And popsicles. One Christmas, he snagged a Santa suit from the store and showed up at our house on Christmas Eve so all of his grandkids and neighbor’s children would continue believing in the magic of Santa. Dad couldn’t boil water, but because of all of those years of retail, he was the best “housewife” on the planet maniacally cleaning everything he touched. He always remarked on the state of the floors of every store we went to – “I need to speak to the store manager and find out who cleans these floors, the shine looks amazing!” He would actively put misplaced things back where they belonged even while out weekend shopping with Mom. We lost him constantly because of this. Back when businesses still closed on the holidays, Dad would take us kids to his empty store to “front the shelves” on the beer and wine aisles to get everything perfect for the New Year’s rush. We’d sing into the cashier’s microphones at the top of our lungs and have grocery cart races up and down the aisle while I’m sure Dad regretted his idea of using child labor. We would eagerly wait at the end of the street for him to get home from work in the evenings. We’d see him turn the corner, come to a stop where we were standing and wait for us to climb up on the hood of his ’79 Buick LeSabre. We’d squeal and hold on while he drove all of 2mph to our driveway. He loved to fish and passed that down to all of us. His hair (what little he had, don’t tell him we said that) always had to be perfect. He never traveled without a comb despite Mom saying, “Richard it looks exactly the same!” Anyone close to him knows he’s looking down on us excited he isn’t being subjected to Biden’s term as president. They also know he was Mom’s biggest fan and best friend and will never be far from her.  He is going to be deeply missed by those who loved him.

The family will be holding a celebration of Dad’s life at a time to be determined at a later date.