Obituary of Anne Higgins Gallagher

Anne Higgins Gallagher died on Wednesday April 29, 2020 at the Osborn in Rye, NY. Anne was 82 years old and passed in the loving company of family. Anne was born Anne Margaret Higgins on July 24, 1937 in Highland Park, MI. She was born to the late Paul Henry Higgins and Anne Margaret Moore, who raised Anne with their three other children in Huntington Woods, MI. It was at the house in Huntington Woods where Anne learned to ice skate in the frozen side yard and helped tend their family’s Victory Garden during World War II. Anne initially attended St. Mary of the Springs College (now Ohio Dominican) on a partial scholarship to study mathematics. On September 8, 1956 Anne entered the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity to determine if she had a religious vocation. To the eventual relief of her sons, Anne left the Sisters of Charity after three months and completed an English major at the University of Detroit. While teaching junior high English in Berkley, MI Anne met William (Bill) D. Gallagher of Buffalo, NY on March 19, 1961. Despite some initial resistance from her father, Anne and Bill wed on October 28, 1961 at the Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, MI. Bill’s work brought he and Anne to Northfield, OH, West Bloomfield, MI and eventually to Larchmont, NY, adding to their growing family of boys along the way. They lived in three houses in Larchmont but 34 Monroe Avenue was home. In 1999 Anne was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Because she “walked like a drunk” (her words!) and had trouble with stairs, Anne and Bill moved to a ranch home at 1300 Park Lane in Pelham Manor, NY. They quickly settled in the family’s new home. While a mother of six, Anne had many “seventh sons.” Friends of her boys who were like family and would seek her advice – and Hostess brand desserts – in equal measure. Her influence was truly outsized. In her later years, Anne’s great joy was sharing the same wisdom and love with her grandchildren, with whom she developed unique relationships. They think she was fun, and she was. Anne was a student, a teacher, a religious Novice, a poet, a patron of the arts, a gardener, a traveler, an amateur genealogist, a designer and problem solver. She was comforting counsel andquickwit. Anne was wise. She typically knew what her sons were up to – even when they thought they were being clever. Anne is preceded in death by her husband, Bill. Anne is survived by her six sons, Sean, Timothy, Peter, Kevin, Mathew and Brian, six daughter’s‐in‐law and eleven grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings Paul (Pete) Higgins, Patricia Warner and Terrance Higgins. Anne will be interred next to Bill at the Greenwood Union Cemetery in Rye, NY. A celebration of her life will take place when groups can safely gather. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a Catholic charity or an organization meaningful to you.