Global Ministries is saddened to learn of the death of Reverend David C. Gallup
Reverend David Carol Gallup
April 30, 1928 – November 4, 2014
David Carol Gallup passed away on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, at Our Lady of Peace nursing home in Charlottesville, Virginia, after suffering complications following a stroke.
David Gallup was born on April 30, 1928, in Kane, Pennsylvania, the second son of Eben and Mildred (Cooke) Gallup. His childhood was spent in northwestern Pennsylvania, where he acquired a lasting love for forested mountains. David chose to retire to Crozet, Virginia, because the scenic surroundings reminded him of the Allegheny Mountains of his boyhood, and the ancient forested Palni Hills of southern India, where he found respite from the heat of the plains during his long career as a missionary with the United Church Board for World Ministries, a predecessor mission body of what today is Global Ministries.
A 1946 graduate of Ridgway High School, Ridgway, Pennsylvania, David enlisted in the United States Army, serving as Chaplain’s Assistant in occupied Japan, and ministering to U.S. armed forces personnel and to Japanese Christians in Osaka and Kyoto.
Following his tour of duty, David attended Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, where he studied English Literature, and sang in the Oberlin College Choir. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952. The Oberlin-Shansi graduate exchange program took David to southern India for three years of language training and assistant teaching at the American College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu (known at the time as Madras State), India. It was while he was there that he met and married his wife and cherished partner of 60 years, Padmasani Jotimuttu. David and Padmasani returned to Oberlin for their graduate work where David earned his Master of Divinity in 1959 from Oberlin’s Graduate School of Theology. Following a Fulbright Scholarship and assistant chaplaincy at the Claremont-McKenna Colleges of southern California, the couple embarked together upon a forty-year career as missionaries in South India. After being initially posted to the Tamil Nadu Aruppukkottai pastorate, in 1962 David was appointed Principal of the Training School for village pastors at Pasumalai Theological School. With the completion of that five-year posting, David served as Chaplain at the American College in Madurai; Lecturer in Old Testament at Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Madurai; Pastor of the Church of The Divine Patience in the Railroad Colony, Madurai; and ended his pastoral career in India as Chaplain at Madras Christian College.
Having been blessed with a lovely voice, David enjoyed singing in, and directing, choirs of fellow singers, and, after settling in Crozet, he sang for many years with The Oratorio Society of Charlottesville-Albemarle.
David is survived by his beloved wife, Padmasani; their four children, Carol Anjali Gallup-Diaz of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rachael Indira Gallup of Charlottesville, Virginia, Nathan Jothi Gallup of Scarsdale, New York, and Joy Kiruba Gallup of New York, New York; six grandchildren, Aidan, Julia, Dylan and Alexander of New York, New York, and Zoe and Farryn of Scarsdale, New York; and his older brother, Paul E. Gallup of Ridgeway, Pennsylvania.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 5:00 pm, at Sojourners United Church of Christ, 1017 Elliott Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22902.