Joseph Paul Galant

Joseph Paul Galant, 81, of Myrtle Beach, SC died Thursday, July 1st, after a courageous 2-year battle with pancreatic and lung cancer. He was born April 21, 1940 to Anthony and Mary Galant in Ambridge, PA. After attending Ambridge schools, Joe graduated from Ambridge High School in 1957. After high school, Joe proudly served his country in the US Navy as an aviation technician. After his honorable discharge, Joe continued his education at the University of Pittsburgh and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

Joe started his career with GE Aerospace in Binghamton, NY working as a systems engineer on flight controls for many different aircraft used by the US military. Joe took great pride in his work and enjoyed working with new technology and solving engineering problems. After 30+ years working with the same company, Joe retired from what had since become Lockheed Martin and began the next chapter of his life by moving south to Myrtle Beach. Joe spent the rest of his time in Myrtle Beach enjoying new friends, good weather, and as much golf as he could fit in.

Joe was a devout Catholic and served his church wherever he lived. He was an active parishioner and member of the choir at St. Christopher’s Church in Binghamton, and after moving to Myrtle Beach he volunteered at St. Andrew’s Church.

Joe was a devout family man and a friend to everyone he met. He will be missed by all whose lives he touched. He loved sports – both as a fan and a participant. His favorite teams were the Pittsburgh Steelers, Syracuse Orange, and any team that had one of his kids or grandkids competing.

He is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Georgiann; his daughter Patricia (Tom) Karpus of Cary, NC, daughter Michele (David) Smith of Vestal, NY, and son Joseph (Rachelle) Galant of Gaithersburg, MD; his eight grandchildren: Ally Karpus, Tony Karpus, Catie Galant, James Galant, Maddie Smith, Kelsey Smith, Justin Smith, and Zach Smith; and sister Blanche (Bob) Hovanec of Ambridge, PA, sister-in-law, Nancy Urban of Upper St. Clair, PA, numerous nieces and nephews, and many beloved friends.

A mass of Christian burial will be held Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 11:00 AM at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach.  Visitation will be held Monday, July 5, 2021 from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM at McMillan and Smalls Funeral Home in Myrtle Beach, with a prayer service beginning at 6:00 PM.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (https://t2t.org/), or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org) in Joe’s memory.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St Andrew Catholic Church, 503 37th Ave N, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 Tuesday, July 06, 2021 at 11:00 AM.  Visitation, at McMillan-Small Funeral Home, 910 67th Avenue N., Myrtle Beach, SC 29572 will be Monday, July 05, 2021 from 4:00 - 6:30 PM.  A Catholic prayer service will be held at 6:00 PM during the visitation at the funeral home.

Please leave a kind message for the Galant family using the "Tribute Wall" tab at the top of the page.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joseph Paul Galant, please visit our floral store.