Ann Gallagher

Ann A. Gallagher, 70, of Waukon, formerly of Lansing, died Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements. Condolences may be sent to Mike Gallagher at P.O. Box 359, Waukon, IA 52172.

Ann Althoff Gallagher was born May 12, 1950 in Dubuque, the daughter of Cletus C. and Ivy Nell (Kurdelmeier) Althoff. When she was a child, her family moved to Waukon. Ann grew up with a love for horses, engaging in frequent trail rides with her sister, Cheryl. Later, she went on to show Quarter Horses, earning many trophies for her efforts. Animals and the land always came first for her and she loved all of her pets she had throughout her life.

After graduating high school in 1968, Ann attended the University of Iowa for dance and theater; she was the lead singer for her band Freak Speely, and played 12-string guitar. Ann then went to Luther College in Decorah, where she studied philosophy, among other interests.

With her dad, Ann opened the Inside Story in Waukon and was an interior designer for 30 years. Her two kids would often help her pick out room colors and Ann even decorated a trailer for comedian Tim Allen. She then returned to Luther College to earn her Bachelors degree in 1998, focusing on social services. Following her graduation, Ann worked in case management serving Allamakee and Howard Counties until 2014 and was certified as a Psychiatric Rehabilitation practitioner. Ann served on the Disability Rights Iowa board and was a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) advocate. She was also a contributor to many publications as the well-known “Catfish Annie”.

Ann had said that it took her 60 years to find the love of her life and that she did when she married Michael Gallagher September 25, 2010 at the Vet’s Club in Waukon. They moved to Lansing in 2015, where Ann worked for Milty’s and the Skinny Dip. She loved to cook and eat ice cream, so those jobs were a perfect match for her. Ann also baked cookies for anyone that helped her and usually walked into businesses and stores with a fresh plate to say thanks. In 2018, she and Mike moved back to Waukon.

She cherished being a wife, mom and grandma and was concerned with everyone’s well-being; even when her kids were in high school, Ann continued to pack them a lunch every day. She was also concerned with the well-being of the land and in 2018 earned the Friends of Pool 9 Volunteer Award for her work in helping clean up the Mississippi. She was a worker on the mussels cages and assisted in writing the Otters Tale article for the FOP9 newsletter. Annie loved being on the river and in the woods and would want to be remembered as “a simple woman bathing in the creek, wishing the water was warmer”.

Ann is survived by her husband, Mike Gallagher of Waukon; her two children: Ari (Josh) Carroll of Waterloo and Buck (Abigail) Olson of Baileys Harbor, WI; her stepchildren: Shannon (Kim) Bernatz of Waukon, Mike (Laurel) Gallagher Jr. of Great Falls, MT, John (Amanda) Gallagher of Stoddard, WI and Andrew Gallagher of Waukon; her grandchildren: Finn Carroll and Leif and Lux Olson; her step-grandchildren: Robert and David Susterick, and Laurice, Ashton and Piper Gallagher; her sister, Cheryl Brenner of Gallatin Gateway, MT; and her brother, C.C. (Mary Easton) Althoff of Waukon. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.