BUFFALO, N.Y. — The effort to keep one of the ships on Buffalo's waterfront from sinking and a fund for New York State troopers and their families are both getting a boost in memory of a fallen hero.
Trooper Joseph Gallagher died in March, three years after he was hit by a distracted driver. His family set up a fund in his memory to donate to the Signal 30 Benefit Fund as well as the Save The Sullivans campaign to keep the USS The Sullivans afloat.
On Wednesday those causes got more than $4,000 from Notre Dame Academy, and Gallagher's family was there to say thanks.
"Spending time at the Naval Park is I think something that he cherished very much so," said Fr. Martin Gallagher, Joseph's brother. "His wife Laura joked many times about how she had visited the Naval Park multiple times because every time they came up, she would go to the Naval Park. She says I think I've been there six or seven times. I think it shows just how much Joe would have appreciated these two causes and the money going towards them in his memory."
Buffalo Common Council Member Christopher Scanlon and Weed Man Lawn Care also contributed to the donations.