Galen spent his entire working life tirelessly serving the local community in Twickenham.  He passed away early in the morning on Tuesday 21st September at St Georges Hospital at the age of 67. Those that met him will remember the care and attention he gave his customers for over 50 years; often going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure all those in need had the required medications or support.  Hundreds of friends and customers have already shared their memories of this kindness in a book, generously given to the family by the staff of Maple Leaf Pharmacy, which was a testament to his character.

However the family would love to see any further tributes, stories, photographs and thoughts about Galen added to this page to help us remember Galen and to celebrate his life.  Simply click on the contribute button.

His final years were robbed from him by two conditions, Frontotemperal Dementia and Motor Neurone Disease (otherwise known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease). 

Galen's family had initially planned to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association in Galen's memory.  However this last fortnight the world has changed; and a new crisis has emerged through the amoral folly of a murderous sociopath.  Millions of Ukrainians are in urgent need of support. We now ask in Galen's memory for donations to two charities aiding Ukrainians affected by this catastrophic war.

Anyone who visited Galen in his final 12 months knows that each morning he turned on the projector is his living room and watched BBC News 24 projected on the wall (that is until early afternoon switching to back to back repeats of The Chase on Challenge TV and then either Mr Bean, Doc Martin or Friday Night Dinner). Although his dementia had dampened much of his judgement, he remained deeply affected by images of suffering and would certainly have been disgusted by the effects of Putin's war and perplexed about how anyone could cause such violence.

We have nominated two charities the Disaster and Emergency Committee which needs little introduction and World Jewish Relief.  For those that do not know World Jewish Relief, below is a summary what they have done since Putin ordered the invasion and there is some further background info if you click on their logo:

"In Ukraine, we are responding across the country:
Providing cash transfers, food and medical equipment.
Continuing homecare and providing psychological support.
Assisting our partners to evacuate vulnerable people where it is safe to do so. 
Working with the Ukrainian Embassy in the UK to provide over 40,000 emergency food packages.

In Poland and Moldova:
Helping our partners scale up their capacity to welcome refugees.
Providing cash transfers, legal advice, food and shelter for displaced Ukrainians. 

In the UK we have offered the government our support and expertise in refugee employment, and have urged the Home Office to extend humanitarian visas to Ukrainians."