Sister Patricia "Sister Pat" (formerly Sister M. Philip Joseph) Gallagher who was a Sister of Mercy for 74 years, died February 6, 2026, surrounded by the love of her Mercy sisters. A native of Marlborough, Massachusetts, she was the daughter of the late Charles and Dorothy (Lunt) Gallagher.

Sister Patricia held a B.A. in history/education from Mount St. Mary College in Hooksett and an M.Ed. in education from Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire. Sister Patricia was a dedicated educator who taught primary grades in New Hampshire at McDonald School and Mt. St. Mary Day School in Manchester, at Immaculate Conception School in Penacook, at Sacred Heart School in Nashua, and at St. John's School in Concord.  At Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Manchester, Sister Patricia served as a teacher and principal. In Massachusetts, Sister Patricia taught at St. Mary Star of the Sea School in East Boston and at Holy Family School in Lynn.

In 1974, after 21 years of teaching, Sister Pat began a ministry in support services at the former Sacred Heart Hospital and Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire.  At Sacred Heart hospital, she worked in medical records and at Catholic Medical Center she was a quality assurance analyst and a networks administrative assistant. From 1991 until her retirement in 1996, she was a secretary with the Catholic Medical Center Optima Health Outreach Program.

After 22 years at the hospital and medical center, the staff honored Sister Pat by gathering in morning praise to thank God "for the presence of a religious, a devoted woman, a woman who clearly sees and lives her mission as a Sister of Mercy… who was willing to do the little things that no one else wanted to do, and never claimed honor or fame in doing so... a woman behind the scenes, but always present and always focusing on the positive." Staff and friends blessed Sister Pat in her going forth to volunteer ministry in the care of the sick and elderly, especially her dear mother.

Friends may call at Warde Senior Living, 21 Searles Road, Windham, New Hampshire on Friday, February 20, 2026. from 10:00-11:00 a.m.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel. Burial will be at St. Joseph Cemetery, Bedford, New Hampshire. Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of Mercy of the Northeast, 15 Highland View Road, Cumberland, RI 02864-1124, and online at www.sistersofmercy.org . Arrangements are under the care of the Carrier Family Funeral Home, 38 Range Road, Windham, NH 03087.