Susan C. Gallagher

Susan was born in Philadelphia on December 29th, 1944 to William Anthony Gallagher, Sr., and Josephine Mary (Cunningham) Gallagher.

She graduated from Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill in 1962 and went on to attend Villanova University, where she double-majored in biology and sociology, graduating in 1966. Later in life, Susan went on to study at Lake Forest College where she received a Master of Science in Management (cum laude) in 1978 and a Master of Business Administration (cum laude) in 1980.

She entered the workforce at a time when women rarely led, but she quickly shattered the glass ceiling. By age 26, she was working at General Electric completing complex calculations on a mainframe computer.

Throughout her impressive career, Susan worked for several organizations. She spent the last 17 years of her career at MGI Pharma, Inc. near Minneapolis where she served as the Senior Director of Clinical Research and then later the Senior Director of Medical and Scientific Affairs. Her scientific contributions were many, including publication in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Susan was a strategic thinker who not only navigated outside traditional gender roles but also worked to create educational opportunities and career pathways for others. In 1969, she co-founded the Project Management Institute (PMI), a non-profit international professional society, which currently boasts over 680,000 members worldwide and has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals achieve their career goals.

Of all Susan’s many accomplishments, the one she was most proud of was her son, Sean. Sean’s birth, while unexpected, changed Susan’s life. From the moment he was born to the moment she took her last breath, Sean was her priority and they were a team. She wanted two things for Sean: for him to be happy and for him to achieve his career goals. Her proudest moments were when Sean graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and went on to become an Anesthesiologist at Tufts Medical Center. One of her happiest moments was dancing with her son at his wedding. Susan and Sean’s love for, and devotion to, each other will continue long beyond her death.

Susan is survived by her son, Sean Gallagher, and his wife, Erin Bruynell Gallagher, of Boston; her sisters, Barbara “Barb” Eastburn, of Sharon Hill, PA, and Virginia “Ginny” Morrow, of Prospect Park, PA; her brother, William “Bill” Gallagher, Jr., of Seaford, DE; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is predeceased by her parents and her many beloved pets.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend visiting hours at the J.S. Waterman Langone Chapel, 580 Commercial Street, Boston, MA 02109, on Friday, January 20th, 2023 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm (complimentary valet parking will be available). All are invited to join the family for a mass of Christian burial at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, 1400 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02118, on Saturday, January 21st, 2023 at 10:00 am. Interment will follow at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in West Roxbury.

Flowers may be sent to J.S. Waterman Langone Chapel and donations may be sent to Bridging.org and Humanesociety.org.