UKC

Hi All,

I received the following from Mo Overfield over the weekend, who wanted to share the message on UKC, as he - much like I  - suspect that there'll be many who knew (or had come across) Stef over the years.

“This morning I heard the very sad news that Stefan Gallagher had been found dead by the police last night at his home. I don’t have any details, but it seems certain that his passing would have been a result of his struggle with alcoholism. Stef was well known in the Sheffield climbing community and was a regular at the Foundry. He was a super keen climber and photographer and lived for his days on the hills. 

Those that knew him will remember his quick wit and his sense of fun, all topped off with his Geordie accent. He was a truly excellent guy, and will be missed by many. The world is a poorer place without him.

These brief, scant words do him no justice, but I wanted to let people know of his passing, and if others want to write more below, then please do so.”

My own experiences of both working and socialising with Stef were universally fun filled, as he had a big smile and an energetic character, coupled with a keen sense of humour, which made him an entertaining person to be around.

It's a great shame and a huge loss to hear of his passing and I've no doubt he'll be missed by many - including myself.
 

Oh Rob, that is awful news such a bubbly and friendly character. Please pass on my best to his family.

I knew Stef from my days working at the Edge in the early 2000's. A fantastic and friendly guy who I'm sure will be equal missed by the Skate and Snowboard community. I gather he was a very useful snowboarder back in the days of the Sheffield Ski Village.

This is really sad and whilst I had not seen much of Stef since moving from Sheffield I have fond memories of having dull winter days at Curbar or Stanage significantly improved by his presence. Days when the last thing I really wanted to be doing was being out climbing, but the cast of people and chat were worth the cold and damp even if the climbing most defiantly was not. His was the best.

The world is robbed of a great character who I will miss.

Oh man that is terrible news. I bouldered regularly with him down the Foundry in the mid to late 90s. He gave me beta on Deliverance. His was an incredibly smooth ascent. 

He used to run SLIDE on Division Street and after a heavy night's drinking in the Forum he opened the shop up at 0100hrs so my mate and i could buy a load of snowboarding gear for a trip later that year.

We all fell out of the shop armed with snowboards, bindings, boots, salopettes and jackets - it was the middle of Summer. We got some funny looks as we staggered home...

Really gutted to hear this and sorry to hear he was struggling. He will be greatly missed  

Such sad news. I only knew Stef from bumping into him down the wall but he was one of those people that always made your session better. Such a sad loss of a lovely guy. 

I wept when I heard the news of Stef's passing. It was not the first time I had shed tears for him, but these are definitely the bitterest.

I had known Stef for quite a few years, as a climber, in Slide, as an employee and as a friend. He was easy to make friends with. His bubbly personality, his warmth, His generous spirit, his quickness to a joke, his Geordie accent, all added to making the guy easy to like. He was a big character, and drew people to him like a magnet.

I am not a skateboarder, or snowboarder, but I always enjoyed going into his shop. He had a stupid humour much like mine. We would just talk nonsense, and I would leave sometimes with my side aching.

I had absolutely no hesitation employing him. He was the best sales person I have ever come across. He could to talk to anyone on any level, about pretty much anything. His passion for Five Ten was equal to mine, and often there would be long debates in the office as to the best strategy for that brand. His knowledge of the scene far exceeded mine, and I know that all the sponsored athletes liked and respected him.

I have never laughed so hard as when I walked into the office when Stef was on one, or when we were on sales meetings, or when he came round for a meal at mine. Even the last couple of times I saw him, it was a real treat. And I would give anything to have those times again.

The first time I saw his alcoholism in the flesh, I was shocked, I couldn't understand how the two sides of Stef could co-exist. It was really upsetting to see my good friend in such a state, and I cried when I got home. The following years it was obviously a battle for him. I had to let him go - probably the hardest decision of my life - and I wept some more then. I felt like I had cut a limb off.

But it is a measure of the person, that every time he recovered, there were always people to give him a chance again. I have never seen anybody work a crowd like Stef could at an event like The Downhill world Cup, or Cliffhanger. And that is the great tragedy. He really was one of the best when he was sober, but his alcoholism robbed him and us of his real potential.

Big Characters leave big holes when they go. Stef will be sorely missed by me, by his friends at Five Ten UK, by the extended network of other brands, shop staff, athletes and marketing people, all of whom Stef touched.

Rest easy my friend.

Really sad news. I didn’t know Stef very well but always felt his warmth during interactions with him at the foundry… my thoughts go out to all who knew him better.

I knew Stephan through a brother, whom he shared a lot of friends with, and he was well liked by them all. He was always very friendly to me, and always seemed to have a zest for life. Heart felt 'rest in peace' to him, he was a really cool guy.

Hi All,

Stef's funeral will be taking place on Monday 8th August 2022 at 2:30 pm at Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium, followed by a celebration of his life at The Norfolk Arms, Ringinglow.

A site has been setup in his memory, with some lovely photos and stories from his life, plus further details of the funeral.

https://stefangallagher.muchloved.com/

Thanks for passing on the details for his funeral and the celebration of his life.

I always looked forward to his visits to the Castle Climbing Shop while I ran it and thought good on him for making the trek down to dirty London and always being chipper and fun to chat with on those visits, when knowing being in the Peak is the best!

I had a fun filled bouldering session with him at Cratcliffe after bumping into him there a while back and bumped into him again more recently in Outside and as always it was a relaxed and fun filled chat even if he alluded to other things at times. It is very sad news to know bumping into him like this can't happen again, I will miss him. RIP and condolences to his family and other friends.

Thanks for sharing this Rob, have really great memories of working with him at Awesome walls whilst I was a student, always a good laugh always really nice to bump into him in the years following at the foundry etc. 

Really sad news, my thoughts go out to his friends and family!