(This is the text taken from a copy of the published obituary provided by Bob Hartwig. The quality of the original was poor so that it the image could not be posted)
Gallina, Victor J
EAGLE VALLEY COLORADO. Victor J. Gallina, an avid outdoorsman, long-time Eagle Valley resident and one of the Eagle Valley’s original building contractors, died Friday, November 10th, 2000, of a massive heart attack. He was 61. He will be remembered by family and friends at a gathering at 11:00a.m., Wednesday, November 15, 2000, at UNITED METHODIST CHURCH of Eagle, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Gallina’s memory to any charity of choice. “Vic was an all-round good guy” said Paul Testwuide of Vail Resorts, who first got t know Gallina in the late 1950’s in Wisconsin. “He was a long time good friend. Victor moved to Vail shortly after I came. We hunted together; we fished together, and he love to ride his horses. He epitomized what we all came out here to do in those days”. Gallina was also an outstanding skier, and worked on Vail mountain as a member of the trail crew when Testweide and another close friend, Chapa Nelson, were members of Vail’s ski patrol. During skiing’s off seasons in the late 1960’s, Nelson and Gallina were hired as carpenters in Jim Craig’s construction crew. Nelson remembers Gallina as an extremely hard worker, who enjoyed what he did and liked to help other people learn. “Vic was a wonderful person, with a great sense of humor, who also had a lot of energy and talent”. Nelson added “when you got him out hunting he relaxed and had such a good time”. Nelson remembers hunting in the early 1970’s with Gallina at Mud Springs, which is now part of Arrowhead, and in the McCoy Park area of Beaver Creek. They would spend a couple of days of hauling all their gear into camp. At that time, only a handful of other hunters would be spotted during the big game season, and they were usually neighbors or good buddies. “We always had a lot of yusks (?) together and some legendary parties up there”, Nelson said. “And we were even pretty successful in our hunts”. Nelson’s home along the Lake Creek was one of many that was located in what was dubbed “Gallinaville.” Gallina developed and sold those first lots along Lake Creek, explained Gail Newman, who along with her husband Bob, knew Gallina for nearly three decades. “We had him do construction for us in the early 1980’s and again in 1996”, Newman said. “That speaks to the quality, honesty and workmanship of the man. Vic was a close friend of so many of the ‘old timers’ who were the actual ‘builders’ of Vail.” Bud Palmer remembers how easy it was to work with Gallina when he was building his home, the “Palmerosa” in Lake Creek, 20 years ago. Gallina helped Palmer redesign the home, transforming what would have been dead space into a large family room and extra storage areas. “Vic was such a congenial guy with a great sense of humor, but he was a real perfectionist when it came to his construction,” Palmer said. “He was not one of those contractors who just directed a crew. Vic would ‘put on the belt’ and work beside his men.” Gallina’s sister, Cheri, speaks of her brother as a very honest person, with a keen sense of right and wrong. “Victor was a really straight shooter,” she said. “He was a loyal and very common sense kind of person. Victor was one of those people who seemed to have been born with a sense of fairness, along with a fantastic sense of humor. He was my rock and I always looked to him to learn those skills.” His widow, Margie Gallina, added that Gallina was known throughout the Eagle Valley as “Mr. Honest, Mr. Reliable” because every job he completed was under budget and on time. He built many of the first homes on the Vail Golf Course and in Lake Creek. “He was my best friend and was just a great, good old boy” Margie added. Although the Gallinas had settled into a new home he built in DeBeque, Colorado, two years ago, they were preparing to sell it so they could live a more relaxed, quieter lifestyle. Gallina loved the mountains, Margie said. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and riding his horse in the Flattops. Born June 26, 1939 in Madison, Wisconsin, Gallina moved to Vail, Colorado in 1964 and remained in the Eagle and Roaring Fork valleys until his move to DeBeque. In addition to his wife, Margie, Victor is survived by his father, Victor Gallina of Madison; two sisters, Cheri Gallina of Madison, and Susie Gallina of Madison; brothers, Sam Gallina of Sarasota, Florida, and Joe Gallina of Madison; a brother-in-law, Gene Besen, along with several nieces and nephews. His body will be cremated and his ashes scattered along his favorite Flattop riding trail.
Madison West High School Class of 1958 