Samuel M Galloway Jr.

Sam M. Galloway, Jr. loving husband, devoted father and grandfather (Paps) made the crossing, peacefully surrounded by his family, on March 3, 2021. Sam was born in Miami, Florida, July 15, 1944, the eldest child of Sam M. Galloway, Sr. and Mary Ann Shackelford Galloway.
He attended Edison Park Elementary School and graduated from Fort Myers High School in 1963. He met his sweetheart and love of his life, Kathy Kellum, at Betty Black’s Ballroom Dance Studio and they married in 1964.
Sam’s grandparents relocated from Miami in 1927 and purchased Lee Motors in downtown Fort Myers. In 1963, Lee Motors became Sam Galloway Ford and relocated to Colonial Boulevard and US 41. Sam began working at the family’s dealership in high school and learned the business by working in every department from service to sales. His hands-on training served him well throughout his career. In 1971, Sam became the country’s youngest Ford Dealer at the age of 27. Sam Galloway Ford went on to become one of the Top 100 dealerships in the United States and remains there to this day.
Sam’s deep love of community stems from his family business and the inspiration he received from historical figures that helped shape our community like Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and Thomas Edison. He was the organizing president of the Edison Festival of Light. Sam either rode in or drove his beloved 1906 Ford Model N for more than 70 years in the annual Edison Parade of Light. Sam was instrumental in the restoration of the Edison Ford Estates. He founded and led the Edison-Ford Winter Estates Foundation which was responsible for the restoration and preservation of the historical homes.
Sam was unwavering in his support of law enforcement and believed they were the cornerstone of our community. Some of his many philanthropic causes included Habitat for Humanity, Saluscare, Florida Repertory Theatre, American Cancer Society, Gulf Coast Humane Society, and countless others.
Sam always considered his most important public achievement the founding of the Fort Myers Soup Kitchen in 1984, now known as Community Cooperative. An organization that has assisted tens of thousands of neighbors in need who struggle with hunger and homelessness. He created the annual Sam Galloway, Jr. and Friends Soup Kitchen Benefit 18 years ago and has raised millions of dollars to help feed and support people in need.
He was honored with numerous awards throughout his life and career including the News-Press Person of the Year, News-Press Person of the Decade, Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame Laureate, Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen of the Year, The Heartland Award from the Governor of the State of Florida for outstanding community involvement, NAACP Citizen of the Year, and Time Magazine’s Quality Dealer Award for Business. Sam received countless awards from Ford Motor Company during his career but the most important to him was the Salute to Dealers award that is presented by Edsel Ford, II to Ford dealers who step beyond their showroom doors to make a difference where they live and work.
The only thing Sam loved more than his community was his family and his God. Sam was a man of deep and abiding faith and has attended First Presbyterian Church in downtown Fort Myers since his childhood. His family and friends know him as the fun-loving man that reveled in his love of music and pianos. He was especially fond of Irving Berlin and there was never an event Sam hosted that did not have God Bless America included. Kathy and Sam traveled extensively around the world but especially loved their time fishing and boating in Key West and Chub Cay however, nothing made them happier than their time on Captiva with family. Sam often said, “When God created the world he finished right here in Southwest Florida”.
Sam was preceded in death by his parents, Sam Galloway, Sr. and Mary Ann Shackelford Galloway; brother, Michael David Galloway; and nephew, Brandon Perry Roberts.
Sam is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Kathy Kellum Galloway, his children, Sam III (Jennifer), Katherine Dougherty (Tom), Robert (Tracey); his grandchildren, Thomas and Evan Dougherty, Carol Marie Galloway, Will and Olivia Galloway; and his sister Teta Roberts (Perry); niece, Georgia Roberts.
A visitation will be held at Harvey-Engelhardt Funeral Home, 1600 Colonial Boulevard, Fort Myers, Florida 33907 on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 from 6:00PM-8:00PM.
Funeral services will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 2438 Second Street, Fort Myers, Florida on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 11:00AM. Burial will be private. A reception will be held from 1:00-3:00PM at Sam Galloway Lincoln, 1800 Boy Scout Drive, Fort Myers. For those who are unable to attend in person you may join the service via live stream at www.fpcfortmyers.org/worship-streaming-1100am/
Donations can be made to the Sam Galloway, Jr. Memorial Soup Kitchen Fund at Community Cooperative, PO Box 2143, Fort Myers, FL 33902 or www.CommunityCooperative.com/donate

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