Daniel James Gallo

Daniel James Gallo of Hyattsville, MD passed away on January 12, 2025 at the age of 97. He was born on April 2, 1927 to John and Margaret Gallo in California, a western Pennsylvania town on the banks of the Monongahela. He graduated from California High School in 1945 where, according to the local paper, he “was acclaimed as having broken all scholastic records at California High School since 1935”. From there he went to Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon) in Pittsburgh where he earned a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1949. After a stint in a chemical engineering lab where he said the best thing he learned was how to juggle corks, his mind was drawn toward mathematics and his heart was drawn to a beautiful young woman from Brownsville, PA. He met the love of his life (Helen) Jean Yuhas on a blind date and after a 4 year courtship that included a trove of love letters, they married on December 28,1957. He served proudly in the US Army from 1954-1956, in the 29th Armored Infantry Battalion, stationed in Fort Knox, KY, and fondly reminisced about his days in the army.

Dan and Jean embarked on their married life together in Washington, DC, relocating to Hyattsville in 1963, where they raised their six children. While starting a family, Dan earned his Master’s and PhD degrees in Mathematics at Catholic University (1959 and PhD in 1970). Dan taught math at Catholic U while working on his dissertation, becoming a full professor in 1970. Known for being an outstanding teacher dedicated to his students, Dan was recognized for teaching excellence in 1989 with the Teaching Excellence Award, one of just five professors to be honored. He continued to teach until his retirement in 1995.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Margaret Gallo and his sister Gloria Horn. He is survived by his loving wife of 67 years, Jean, six children: Danielle Gallo (Peter Ryan), Mary Gallo (Andrew Scheiner), Kathleen Gallo (Carl Schmidt), Theresa Gallo, John Gallo (Karin), and Christopher Gallo (Elizabeth); and eleven grandchildren: Daniel Ryan, Ashley Ryan, Benjamin Scheiner, Mia Scheiner, Anna Schmidt, Paul Schmidt, Ava Gallo, Amanda Gallo, Jett Gallo, Gianna Gallo, and Alessandra Gallo. His treasured dog Sunny has been a faithful and constant source of companionship. 

Daniel Gallo loved life. Above all he loved his wife, and his family and friends. He loved mathematics, and was still working on problems into his 90’s. Dan loved everything Pittsburgh, especially their sports teams. He was handy and enjoyed woodworking; his craftsmanship is on display in virtually every room of their home. He was simultaneously the smartest guy and the kindest guy in the room, caring about every person and making whomever he spoke with feel valued and loved. He had a knack for making people laugh with his quick wit and playful sense of humor. He wrote amazingly tender and heartfelt messages in every birthday and anniversary card. Dan always took the principled stance, standing up to injustices, particularly for those marginalized in society. To know him was to love him. He had a way of making everyone feel special, and those of us lucky enough to have had him in our lives are truly blessed. He made each of us better for having known and loved him. 

A mass will be held on Saturday, February 15 at 11 AM at:

Saint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church

313 2nd Street NE

Washington, DC 20002

Donations in Dan’s honor may be made to The Carter Center (https://www.cartercenter.org/) or Smile Train (https://www.smiletrain.org/).