- Date Of Death: July 23, 2022
- State: Connecticut
Christine “Kiki” Gallagher, who would not have wanted her son to alert the world of her age, unexpectedly passed away on July 23rd in Fairfield. Fortunately, her family and friends were provided with countless moments of joy during her time with us, although, knowing her, she would still feel the need to apologize to all of us for not being able to give us more.
Born in (year redacted lest she haunt her son) to Alexander and Maxine (Taylor) Minicozzi in Glen Cove, NY, Kiki found out early that she had an affinity for helping others. She turned that into a 30+ year career teaching special education on Long Island for UCP in Hauppauge. During the summers, she would do all she could to get to the water – whether that was Montauk, Fire Island, or a little neighborhood beach off the Sound near her old home in Poquott, NY.
She was a woman who would have practice runs for recipes before the “big day” – the “big day” being anything from a birthday, holiday, or a regular Tuesday with family, and if you dared leave anything on your plate, she would ask you if youhated it. Luckily that scenario rarely came to fruition. She made sure you were having a good time, and that you knew she enjoyed your company.
The only things Kiki loved more than cooking were her son,John, her family, and her best friend, Dee Glines. Kiki became a part of Dee’s family, and they part of her own. Kiki and Dee did everything together: sneak out to Foxwoods to gamble for a weekend, travel around the country to see friends and family,,and pick on one another endlessly.
A diehard Yankee fan since childhood, especially Derek Jeter and Joe Pepitone, she passed down her fandom (and her hatred of the Red Sox ) to her son. If there was a game on, you could find her watching it. If not, she was watching The Golden Girls- a hobby which she also passed on to her son.
When Kiki found out her daughter-in-law Shayna was expecting, she couldn’t have been prouder and more excited. Unfortunately, she was not able to meet her future grandson, but there will be no shortage of stories shared with him about his grandmother. She was filled with so much love-for her family, friends, and life. Her son will try his best to pass on all the love she would have bestowed on her grandson, but deep down he knows that’s a near-impossible task. She will be missed dearly.
She is survived by her son John (Shayna), her brother Alex (Sandy) and Philip (Carol), and her sister Pamela.
