William Gallaher

Obituary of William Rhea Gallaher

Please share a memory of William to include in a keepsake book for family and friends.

William Rhea Gallaher, Jr., of Catskill, NY, passed away January 25, 2025, after a short illness.

Rhea's life was every bit as full and jazzy as the seventeen best-selling novels he wrote with his long-time partner, the late Nick Bienes, under the pen name Judith Gould. The huge, chart-topping success of one book in particular, Sins—a highflying, multi-generational, fizzy tale of a woman who overcomes her past to conquer the cutthroat world of magazine publishing— enthralled readers. When the book hit television as a seven-part miniseries with Dame Joan Collins in the lead, it swept tv ratings, too. Like many writers, Rhea was first a reader. As a kid growing up in a small Tennessee town, he gobbled up books as fast as he could get his hands on them. When he was eight years old, his first "book," made from brown construction paper, was about the poet John Milton, who fascinated Rhea because he could write despite being blind. Rhea graduated from the University of Tennessee, earned a Master's degree, worked on a doctorate, and taught at the University of Florida. But it was New York—its energy, the possibilities—that would capture his heart. Work as a copy editor for a magazine led to writing short pieces for giveaway magazines and eventually, to fulfilling Rhea's deepest ambition: to write good, captivating novels that entertained gobs of people. Stories he'd want to get lost in. And then a friend with a nose for talent introduced him to his soon-to-be coauthor, Nick Bienes. And yes, their very first collaboration produced the 709-page blockbuster, Sins. Along the way and ever since, Rhea's love of writing was his ticket to distant places both in his imagination and here on Earth. From castles to cathedrals, Big Sur to the Greek Islands—where he and Nick would spend a few weeks each summer, part research, part relaxation. Always curious, Rhea was a gifted storyteller. Add to that his lovely, lilting Tennessee accent, and any room was his.

Rhea leaves his beloved sister, Suzie Motta of Sparta, Tennessee; his brother, Bob Gallaher, of Cookeville, Tennessee; and the many nieces and nephews who love and miss him. Two dear friends loved Rhea and looked after his needs and well-being: Nancy K Austin, a fellow writer, travel companion, shopper, and best friend for more than forty years; and Mary Allen Ingram, first a neighbor, always the best kind of true friend and carer.

Rhea will be interred in Tennessee.

Online Memory & Photo Sharing Event
Ongoing
Online Event
About this Event
William Gallaher

In Loving Memory

William Gallaher

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Look inside to read what others have shared
Family and friends are coming together online to create a special keepsake. Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in this book.
Share Your Memory of
William