Nancy Ruth Galloway

Nancy Ruth Galloway
Aug. 9, 1929 - March 3, 2012

Nancy Ruth Galloway, 82, a 44-year resident of South Laguna Beach, died peacefully in her home March 3, 2012. She was surrounded by her loving family and her prized books and artwork.

A longtime English teacher at Laguna Beach High School, Nancy also volunteered as a docent with the Laguna Beach Art Museum and the Laguna Beach Community Clinic where she served as a certified AIDs counselor for five years.

Born in Lowell, Mass. on Aug. 9, 1929, she was the daughter of a minister and a homemaker. She grew up in the East Hampton, Mass. and New Jersey. Following graduation from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., she married the late David Barnes Galloway of Washington, D.C. Galloway, a Swarthmore College graduate who served in the U.S. Navy during WW II, was an Army Airborne Ranger when they met. He became a lifelong newspaper editor whose career choices took them to El Centro, California, Fairbanks, Alaska, and Laguna Beach.

Nancy earned her master’s degree in English from the University of Alaska. Tired of the Alaskan winters, Nancy announced in 1968 that she was moving to a temperate climate, and the family was welcome to join her. Her husband became an editor at the L.A. Times, where he devoted himself to putting out the Orange County edition from 1968 until his death in 1993.

Nancy’s most rewarding accomplishment was being a mother. Her favorite pastime was playing duplicate bridge. She competed in regional and national tournaments for decades, becoming a silver life master. A voracious reader and gourmet cook, Nancy built an extensive library of books and cookbooks. Never one to cut corners in the kitchen, Nancy produced incomparable Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. She loved living on the ocean in Laguna Beach, travel, fine clothes, fine food and wine, fine objects, movies, theatre, and art museums. For decades, no morning was complete until LA Times and New York Times crossword puzzles were tackled. And she spent the final years of her life attending weekly Shakespeare classes.

She is survived by her three children: Pamela E. Galloway of Reno, NV., retired journalist and civic activist; Christopher B. Galloway of San Juan Capistrano, CA, owner of South Coast Stairs; and Dr. Gil Q. Galloway of Cardiff by the Sea, CA, chief of surgery for Scripps Hospital - Encinitas; sisters Shirley Betz of Sierra Madre, CA and Gayle Feyrer of Albany, CA; four grandchildren, and seven nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life is planned later this month at her bridge club in Dana Point.