Eric Russell Gallagher

October 24, 1965 - February 11, 2022

Eric Russell Gallagher, age 56, died Friday, February 11, 2022, in Riviera Maya, Mexico. He was born October 24, 1965, in Provo, Utah, to Robert Francis Gallagher and Joan Shirley Greer Gallagher. Eric grew up in Orem. He was rarely indoors, preferring to walk, bike, search, and scavenge among orchards of fruit trees, sloping sand hills, and Utah Lake’s sloughs. His mom couldn’t buy him a lot of things, so she took him on trips to the desert, the mountains, the canyonlands, etc. He loved the desert and all its beautiful and bizarre creatures. He became something of an amateur herpetologist and he shared his love for and knowledge of reptiles with anyone who would listen. His love for nature and her critters began early. Poor Joan had animals galore at the house (many she never knew about). From a young age, he also developed a love for cars; his aptitude for mechanical work increased after he bought and began continually fixing his first car, a 1970 Dodge Charger, at age 15. He later wrapped that car around a telephone pole, but that’s another story. Having spent his childhood riding on the parcel shelf (he always called it the “bunker back”) behind the back seat of his mom’s yellow VW bug, he had an affinity for Volkswagens, which he bought, restored, and sold for many years. Eric spent much of his youth exploring Utah county, cruising Center St. in muscle cars, scrounging for used items and “treasures,” listening to music, dancing, camping with the Boy scouts, and lizard hunting. Eric was always up for an adventure! He rarely sat around; there was too much to do, see, and experience. Eric learned by talking to others, by working with his hands. He found traditional school boring and stressful. He attended Mountain View High School for a time, but he wandered a bit: he lived and worked in Star Valley, WY; he picked pineapples in Lanai, HI, and then returned a second time to cook for the pineapple pickers; he attended school in Menlo Park, CA, where he lived with his Gallagher cousins. Eric and his friends spent a great deal of effort to attend dances at BYU and the Orem Rec Center. In the 1980s, you could find a dance somewhere just about every weekend, and it was a great place to meet girls. His tall, lanky body and striking facial features made him stand out in a crowd, but it was his unusual dance skills and cool sense of style that earned him a lot of admiration. In the winter of 1988, after recently returning from a trip to Europe, Eric and his brother Shawn went dancing at a club on the corner of Center St. and University Ave. in Provo called “The Plastique.” That night, Eric met a BYU student from San Diego, CA, named Lisa Thompson. Sparks did not fly that night, but within a few months, the two were inseparable. Eric and Lisa were married on January 20, 1989, in Las Vegas, NV. Their marriage was later solemnized in the LDS Manti Temple on May 6, 1992. Eric and Lisa were blessed with three sons: Shawn (1993), Michael (1995), and Connor (1998). During their early years of marriage, Eric attended school at Utah Valley Community College (now UVU) and studied Collision repair and transportation technologies. To earn a living, he bought, repaired, and sold cars. He became involved in the UVCC yearly car show and swap meet and he enjoyed it immensely. This began a very productive, back breaking, yet satisfying career in the “automotive arts.” Eventually he began restoring vintage Volkswagens and Porsches, opening a shop behind his home in American Fork, where his many customers brought their vehicles. Sometimes they came just to chat or to ask for suggestions or leads. Eric knew right where the ranchers of Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming kept their Volkswagens hidden. Folks could count on two things: getting a fair deal and engaging in lively conversation. Eric loved the friends he made during that time. In the late 1990s, he began selling items on eBay: garage sale items, estate sale items, collectibles, and antiques. eBay sales were so good, and the work was so much less physically taxing, that he decided to quit the mechanic/restoration business and focus solely on sales. It was gang busters financially, but with dial up internet and no digital camera, the process was slow and sometimes arduous. He and Lisa worked full-time at this endeavor for years. Eric began working for L3 Communications in the Maintenance department, where a friend of his was employed. While there, he learned valuable electrical, plumbing, building, and audio/visual skills, but he knew it was wise to focus on developing diplomacy and customer satisfaction skills. He was well-liked and trusted because he always followed through, he was a great communicator, and he showed integrity in all aspects of his labor. Eric supported Lisa when she returned to school to become a teacher, and then when she chose to change career paths and return for another degree to pursue a position in Administration, he was her biggest cheerleader. Eric’s knowledge of and love for antiques grew as the years passed. He eventually quit L3 and began working for himself again. He felt a renewed energy and sense of purpose. Nothing thrilled him more than finding valuable items (he had a real knack for it—an unbelievable gift for understanding provenance, quality, and profitability) and then selling those items to people who would love them. He often gave things away, sold things too cheaply, or allowed others to get the upper hand in a deal. If, that is, it preserved a relationship or helped someone in need. Eric’s ability and desire to help others came easy to him. His capacity to fix, fabricate, and create gave him great satisfaction and joy. He treasured his collections, and though he might have appeared a pack rat to some, those who knew him understood how carefully he curated his stacks and piles and cupboards full of glorious, eclectic merchandise. He will be missed by the owners and vendors at the various antique stores and malls where he sold an appealing (something for everyone!) array of beautiful things. Eric and Lisa loved to travel to Mexico, and they spent 10 days each winter enjoying the warmth of the sun, the surf, and the verdure of Mazatlán, Guaymas, Puerto Vallarta, and Cancun. On this final trip to the Riviera Maya (two hours from Cancun), he passed away suddenly after a heart attack. That his final day on earth was spent in a most spectacularly beautiful place with the woman he loved was a blessing. Eric was known for his silly antics, his love of VWs and old cars, his passion for road trips and veering off the beaten path, his unique vocabulary words, his warmth and compassion, his extensive taste in music, his wicked “picking” skills, his love for his family, and increasingly so in the final months of his life, his testimony of Jesus Christ and of the love God has for each of us. Eric will be greatly missed. Eric is survived by his wife Lisa Ann Thompson Gallagher, his son Shawn Kaley Gallagher (Ben Matthews), Michael Loren Gallagher (Hailee McClure), and Connor Joseph Gallagher; his siblings: Kim Blanchard (Paul), Craig Gallagher (Leslie Robertson), Lori Bird (Leon), and twin Shawn Gallagher (Ann Faldmo). Eric was preceded in death by his father Robert Francis Gallagher and his mother Joan Shirley Greer Gallagher. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, March 5th, at 11:00 am, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 942 North 500 East, Pleasant Grove, Utah, where a Viewing will be held prior to services from 9:00 to 10:30 am. Interment in Highland City Cemetery, 6300 West 11000 North, Highland, Utah. To view services via livestream, click on the following link: https://my.gather.app/remember/eric-gallagher Special thanks to Servicios Funerarios Mar Pech in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, for their kind service. We so appreciate their efforts in working with the US consulate and in coordinating travel for Eric’s speedy return to the U.S.