Walter W. Gallati, 92, Indiana, passed away Monday, October 12, 2020 while at St. Andrew’s Village.
He was born in Brooklyn, NY, on December 7, 1927, the first child of Walter and Olga (Kradolfer) Gallati. As a first generation American, he was always proud of his Swiss heritage.
Water joined the Army upon graduation in 1945 from Andrew Jackson High School in St. Albans, Long Island, New York and was a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army. Upon completion of his military commitment, he earned a B.A. at Drew University, a M.S. at the University of Miami, FL, and a Ph.D. in Zoology/Parasitology from Ohio State. In 1957 he joined the Biology Department faculty at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (at that time, ISTC). He served on and chaired numerous departmental and campus wide committees, and was a member and officer of a number of professional and Biological organizations throughout his career. Upon retirement in 1989 as chairman of the Biology Department, he was granted Professor Emeritus status.
He was quite a handyman, and was responsible for much of the finish work on the house he and Eleanor had built in 1961 and lived in until 2019. Walter became very involved with Habitat for Humanity in Indiana County when it began in 1991, and was active in building and remodeling houses in Indiana County. He served as treasurer of HH for many years and remained on the board as the only original board member until his recent resignation. He also volunteered and delivered Meals on Wheels for many years during his retirement.
Walter was an avid crossword puzzle fan, and enjoyed traveling having visited all of the continents-with the exception of Antarctica. He did not like cold weather. Walter enjoyed gardening, playing bridge and poker, and was known for the functional pottery he made.
Surviving are his wife, Eleanor, whom he met on their first day of teaching at IUP in September, 1957 and married in August 1958; his daughter, Carla Dorsey, M.D. and her husband, William “Biff” of Portland, Oregon; son, Walter David Gallati and his wife, Karen of Cumberland, Maine; four grandchildren, Crispin and Clementine Dorsey, 1st Lt. USAF Walter Gage, and Mika Gallati; two sisters-in-law, Margit Kupas and Alice Mihalyi; and numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews; as well as a special Indiana family, the Matthew Conjelko family.
In addition to his parents, Walter was preceded in death by his sister, Heidi Roll and her husband; brother, Herman and his wife; two brothers-in-law, William and Edward Mihalyi and their wives; and a brother-in-law, Julius Kupas.
Walter has donated his body to medical science through the Humanities Gift Registry and urges others to consider doing the same.
The John A. Lefdahl Funeral Home will be assisting with arrangements. The family hopes to have a memorial celebration of Walter’s life at a later date.
For those who wish, memorial donations may be made to Habitat for Humanity, Box 663, Indiana, PA 15701 or to Meals on Wheels, 534 Philadelphia Street, Indiana, PA 15701.
