Marie Gallo
By Chris Murphy
It was so sad to learn of the passing of my friend Marie Gallo. She was the optimists’ optimist and always made everything she did better. Marie thought big, dreamed big and acted big to fundamentally change our community for the better.
She was a champion of the arts, friendships, and truly had a talent for finding ways to bring out the best and understand the people she knew. One of the wonderful and fun moments was when she celebrated her friend Grace Lieberman at the MAMA Awards with a huge presentation of Everything’s Coming Up Roses with a LOT of roses. Marie would be then be honored for her own lifetime achievement at our 2008 MAMA Awards. Marie has been honored by many for her accomplishments and the way she encouraged others to join in and make things happen.
She was determined to make things happen and she really understood the people she worked with and saw the greater good in so many things. I really learned a lot from her. I was truly fascinated with her earlier years as a concert pianist and her talent for music was amazing and I treasured a few moments playing her beautiful piano at her house one afternoon. She truly lived for the arts. Our community is truly lucky for all she did, for the family that she and Bob raised and the legacy she leaves for us all to keep alive. I and our arts community and the city at large will miss her.
Donations can be made in her honor to the Gallo Center for the Arts
www.galloarts.org
