Catherine M (Nagle) Gallant

Catherine M. Gallant, better known as Kay, peacefully left this earth on January 1, 2026. She was born March 4, 1932 and grew up in a close-knit community in Jamaica Plain (Boston, MA). Kay married James E. Gallant of Worcester, MA in 1962 and raised their son, James P. Gallant of Arlington, MA, known as Jim, in the neighborhoods of Mattapan and Hyde Park. The family settled in West Roxbury during Jim’s high-school years.
A tireless worker, Kay excelled in dual vocations: as a dedicated mother and wife and as a proud public servant for four decades. At the Commonwealth of MA, she counseled displaced workers and helped place them in new jobs and careers. Through her diligence, she was promoted several times, retiring as a tax administrator in 1998.
For her next act, Kay devoted her efforts to volunteering, mostly in the service of Holy Name Church of West Roxbury. An active member of Our Lady of the Holy Name Sodality, she also brought comfort to thousands as a eucharistic minister, administering Holy Communion to parishioners, residents at German Centre Senior Living, and patients at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Kay was unabashedly proud of her Irish heritage. Her parents, Denis Nagle and Bridget Nagle (formerly Dwyer), immigrated to Boston from County Cork. Several times, Kay traveled there to visit her cousin, Michael Doherty, and his wife Nuala, making new friends, attending weddings, and touring the country.
Kay was predeceased by her husband James E. Gallant and her sister Margaret Concannon (formerly Nagle). Kay is survived by her son Jim of Arlington, MA, niece Denise Cobb of Centerville, MA, nephew Paul Smallcomb of San Francisco, and many nieces and nephews in the Gallant family. She also leaves behind grandnieces Allison Cobb and Margaret Cobb of MA. 
A memorial mass will celebrate Kay’s life in the spring of 2026.
Jim is forever grateful to his wonderful friends and family, especially the O’Loughlins, for their unwavering love and support during Kay’s lengthy illness.