Marie Gallo, leading light for Modesto arts and part of winemaking family, dies at 86
Marie Gallo, a leading force behind Modesto’s performing arts center and many other causes, died in her sleep at her home Monday, her family said. She was 86.
Mrs. Gallo was the daughter-in-law of a co-founder of E.&J. Gallo Winery, the world’s biggest winery and Modesto’s largest private employer.
She and husband Bob Gallo raised eight children as the winery grew. They have donated many millions of dollars to the arts, education, the Catholic Church and other causes.
The most visible legacy may be the Gallo Center for the Arts, which opened downtown in 2007 after decades of discussion. Its two stages have drawn world-renowned acts and also showcases local dancers, singers and actors.
Marie Gallo was born into a prominent local family. Her father, Frank Damrell Sr., was a Stanislaus County Superior Court judge. Her brother, Frank Damrell Jr., was a Modesto attorney before becoming a federal judge in Sacramento.
Damrell declined to comment Monday saying, “It’s been a very tough day.”
But his son, Frank, spoke briefly about his aunt and her legacy.
“She’s been kind of a force (for good),” he said. “We were raised together, the two families. Frank and Marie were the only siblings. So holidays and birthdays, vacations, family events — everything was done together. It was a wonderful childhood.”
Frank Damrell III said his father and aunt were “very proud and engaged in the civic life and growth of Modesto.”
He said his aunt instilled in family members the belief that they could accomplish more than they thought. “She had great confidence in all of us to do well. Be your best but then be better. (But it was with) lots of unconditional love and support.”
Damrell said she applied that belief to Modesto and its civic and cultural life. He said that’s why the Gallo Center for the Arts is a showcase.
Arts venue for families and children
Mrs. Gallo mentioned the dream of a performing arts center in a 1982 Modesto Bee story, when she became chairwoman of the Stanislaus County Arts Commission.
“It makes our souls deeper and better,” she said. “There’s so much that comes through in performance — in wonderful music — that makes us better human beings.”
Patty Hill Thomas, who was the county’s project manager for the Gallo Center, described Mrs. Gallo as thoughtful, caring and generous.
“I met her when the dream of building the Gallo Center was young, and her passion to bring the dream to Modesto was infectious,” Hill Thomas said.
She said Mrs. Gallo believed fervently in “the arts for all” vision of the new center.
“I have a lot of great memories of her,” Hill Thomas said. “I love standing and looking out the window and seeing school buses lining up at the Gallo center. That is a tribute to Marie. She wanted an arts center for children and families. She was dedicated to making things happen for others, many of whom she never knew.”
Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen said in a statement that Mrs. Gallo “gave so much to the City of Modesto with her selfless service, everyday approachability, and her challenge to us all to make a difference for others. Her positive impact on our community will be felt by generations to come.”
Support for Catholic Church
The extended Gallo family members have been key supporters of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church and other causes in the Diocese of Stockton.
“We like to help our church because it’s helped us during good times and bad times,” Marie Gallo said in a 2007 story.
One of the latter was the 1978 death of their 16-year-old son, Mark, from a rare connective-tissue disease. Marie Gallo talked about him in a 1993 story.
The other seven children are part of the third generation of the still family-owned company, some of them in key management roles.
Bob and Marie Gallo were among the 10 people honored in 2012 by the Stockton Diocese to celebrate its 50th anniversary because of their long involvement with the diocese.
The Gallo family contributed the land for the parish elementary school, Central Catholic High School and the new St. Stanislaus Church.
Mrs. Gallo also was instrumental in bringing the cloistered order, the Sisters of the Cross, to Modesto. She started the Catholic Social Service Guild in the 1970s to help seniors in this community, including taking them to doctor visits and caring for them in their homes.
“Marie Gallo was raised in a home that stressed the importance of a vibrant faith and a compassionate heart and that showed through her community service,” the diocese said in a statement Monday. “Marie and Bob have passed on their faith and values to their family.
“She was an influential part of the Diocese of Stockton and is a strong example of what it means to live for others ... Bishop (Myron) Cotta is asking that everyone keep Marie and her family in their prayers and honor her life by being of service to others.”
‘She was our Oprah’
Former Modesto councilwoman and longtime friend Kenni Friedman said Mrs. Gallo was one of those rare people who could see the future and how to get there despite the zigs and zags along the way. Mrs. Gallo combined that vision with hard work and persistence.
“I’ve never met anyone like her,” Friedman said. “It’s a huge loss for this community, and it’s a huge loss for me.”
Gallo Center CEO Lynn Dickerson said Mrs. Gallo had the means to travel the world to see the best of the arts but focused her attention on the arts in her hometown.
“She used her standing and clout in the community for good,” Dickerson said. “She was our Oprah. ... She believed in and wanted the best for our community.”
Dickerson said Mrs. Gallo’s concern was more than the arts and encompassed social services and education. Friedman said Mrs. Gallo was a supporter of the Modesto Gospel Mission and The Salvation Army.
The philosophy of striving for the best resulted in a world-class Gallo Center that draws artists who typically would not perform here. “We get artists a town our size ordinarily would not expect,” Dickerson said.
She said in a normal, prepandemic year the Gallo Center draws about 200,000 people to its events plus about 40,000 schoolchildren for the programs and events focused on them.
Career began with brief teaching job
Mrs. Gallo was born April 23, 1935, in Modesto. She graduated from Modesto High School and Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, where she earned a bachelor’s degree and her elementary teaching credential.
Her first teaching assignment was at Alamo Elementary School in San Francisco. She returned to Modesto to marry Bob Gallo in 1958. She later taught at St. Stanislaus Elementary School for several years.
Mrs. Gallo’s survivors include her husband, Bob; children Julie Vander Wall (David), John Gallo (Teresa), Matthew Gallo (Kathleen), Thomas Gallo (Karyn), Gina Gallo-Boisset (Jean-Charles), Amy Gallo and Mary E. Gallo-Lucisano (Costantino); her brother, Frank C. Damrell Jr. (Ludy); and 22 grandchildren, according to a statement from her family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Gallo Center for the Arts, 1000 I St., Modesto, 95354, or the Sisters of the Cross, 1320 Maze Blvd., Modesto, 95351.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Bee staff writer Ken Carlson contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 6:34 PM.
