It is with great sadness that the local community learned of the passing of Michael Gallant on Nov. 19. Mike passed after a long and devastating battle with diabetes and other complications.
You might remember Mike as a young strapping kid helping you at Fannies Mid Way Farms in Hicksville or you could have attended Hicksville High class of ’69 with him. He might have mentored or taught you during his brief teaching career at St. Ignatius Elementary School. But Mike will most likely be remembered for his big laugh and his even bigger heart as he worked at his favorite profession as a bartender! Mike was the big man behind the stick at Wickers Restaurant from 1979-89 until health issues forced him to move to Arlington, TX to be closer to his family. Mike was not just a bartender though. He was an organizer, a counselor, a matchmaker and even a referee to all who sat across the bar from him and confided in him. He was always the first to start a collection or organize a party to raise money for a good cause or for someone in need. He was the first recipient of the Bartender of the Year Award at the Long Island Bartenders Hall of Fame Ball, a non-profit organization that raised money for many worthy causes. Although he never married, Mike was a real family man— not only to his immediate family but to everyone that knew him. He was everyone’s “other brother!”
On Saturday, Jan. 24 there will be a memorial mass said in Mike’s honor at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Hicksville. The mass will be at 1:30 p.m. and all who knew him are welcomed to attend. Mike’s family from Texas will be coming in for the Mass and would be very happy to see some old familiar faces.
