Eulogy for Daniel Joseph Galvin Jr. Saturday, April 19, 1980
Right now Dan is sitting up there with a very serious look on his face. He is, I'm sure, very anxious. In fact, he is probably fretting. Dan was always serious about talks and speeches and sermons. He himself was a pro at giving talks, he prepared meticulously and expected others to meet his standards. Over the course of the years a number of parish priests were visited after Mass and given constructive criticism of their sermons. Not many of you would have that kind of courage or nerve. But Dan did. Well, if he's fretting at this instant he has a right to. I told Joanne and the boys I probably shouldn't attempt to say anything today. I didn't think I could be coherent or even finish this talk. But Dan was a friend of 42 years. I could not remain silent today.
We are gathered here to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We are doing the very same thing Christ did the night before he died, we are doing it for the reasons Christ did, and with the same results. At the Last Supper Christ knew He would die on the next day. His heart was heavy with sadness because soon He was to be separated not just from disciples but from friends, men with whom he had become very close. He had tried to prepare them for this separation. He had told them that He must die and then rise to a new life, that in this way He would enter into His glory and prepare a place for them. He had even promised that He would leave His Body and Blood as Food and Drink and if they believed in Him, they would share His eternal life. They would never die. The apostles did not understand these things. It wasn't until months and even years after His Resurrection that they were able to piece it all together and understand what the Lord had said. At the Last Supper He said the bread they were eating was His Body, the wine was His Blood. He commanded them to repeat what he was doing on this night after He was gone. In this way they would share His life, in this way his promise of eternal life would be fulfilled, in this way they would be united with one another and with Him in Holy Communion.
Today, in this Mass, we fulfill Christ's command, we repeat His words, His actions, we are united with Him in Holy Communion and through Him we are united with one another. We are united with Christians throughout the world, we are united with all those living and dead who through faith and through the Eucharist are one in Christ. One day we will be united again, physically, not just sacramentally. This is Christ's promise, this is the pledge given us each time we receive the Body and Blood of Christ. This is why we gather here to offer the Lord's Supper.
In the very solemn moments of the Last Supper Christ also gave a command - only one. It was to be the touchstone of eternal life, the distinguishing mark of His followers - that we love one another.
Dan Galvin loved his neighbor. For him Santa Rosa was not a place, it was a community of people. I don't know how many organizations he belonged to, I know it was a lot. I don't suppose anyone will be able to count the number of times he was asked to be master of ceremonies. For 25 years he and his committee of red coats worked very hard putting together the Sports Celebrity dinner for the benefit of Santa Rosa's young. Few people knew that he quietly visited the sick in hospitals, and that he personally contacted the friends of someone deceased, because he did not want them to find out about their friend's death in a newspaper. He complained in recent years that Santa Rosa was growing too fast, he didn't know as many Santa Rosans as he did in the old days. I've never met anyone from Santa Rosa who didn't know Dan Galvin. You Santa Rosans have lost a great citizen, a great booster. You are a better community for his having lived among you these past thirty or so years. You will miss him.
For the last eighteen years Dan was an officer of the Exchange Bank. Sometimes I wondered about that. I'm sure Dan never went near the bank's computers. He probably couldn't manipulate a desk calculator. I'm not sure he ever grasped the concept of borrowing short and lending long. Dan couldn't care less about machines and numbers and dollars. He was a people guy. He was sensitive to people, he cared about people, he loved people. That's why he was one of the bank's greatest assets. My friends at Exchange Bank, it will be difficult for you to fill his shoes. You will miss him.
There are a number of us here today who have known Dan for many, many years, since high school, and some even since the first grade of elementary school. In many ways Dan was responsible for the closeness of our friendship. He never forgot a birthday, or an anniversary. He was always planning a get-together, a barbecue, a golf game, anything to be together. And all his friends got phone calls. Since I assumed my present position, a week didn't go by without a call from Dan. He just wanted to check up, to see how I was doing. He was concerned about my health, was I taking care of myself, when did I last play golf. And always the closing words were: let me know if there is anything I can do. I and countless other friends will miss Dan Galvin.
Dan and Barry, you were blessed with great parents. You had a great father. He understood you, he was patient with you and he was proud of you. The way you have responded and conducted yourselves these last three days is a tribute to both your parents and would have made your father prouder than ever.
Joanne, none of us can fully understand your loss. None of us can adequately express our sympathy. You were part of his life and noW you are separated. We support you with our prayers, and I know that all the people who are here today, and many others who could not come, are at your beck and call, because of our love for you and because of our love of the little guy - with the great big heart - you were married to for so many years.
May he rest in peace. May God bless all the Galvins.
View Notes for ...
Sources
There are no Source citations for this individual.
View Sources for ...
Media
Multimedia Object
~1929 (M71)
Multimedia Object
~1933 (M72)
Multimedia Object
1942, Dan Jr (Marines) and Uncle Mike (M73)
Multimedia Object
1948, USF Yell Leader (M74)
Multimedia Object
1979, Exchange Bank (M75)
Multimedia Object
The Daniel Galvin Community Park in Santa Rosa, dedicated Sept 15, 1984 (M76)
Individuals - Genealogy from The Peoria Leuchts
31
