Paul Joseph Gallerani passed away peacefully at Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital from influenza and pneumonia on March 10, 2025, with family by his side. His beloved wife of 66 years, Roberta “Bobbie” Gallerani, predeceased him on February 4, 2022, and though he was devastated, he had faith he would be joining her soon.
Paul is survived by his children, Peter Gallerani and Carol Metayer; his grandchildren, Paul Metayer, Shelby Metayer and Nicholas Gallerani; his daughter-in-law, Jeanne Gallerani; his son-in-law, Skip Metayer; his granddaughter-in-law, Johana Gallerani; and his great-grandsons, Broderick Casey and Matteo Gallerani. He is also survived by his sister, Irene; seven nieces and nephews; cousins; and many dear friends.
Paul was born on October 18, 1937, in Somerville, Mass., to Peter and Mary Gallerani. His family moved to Vermont when he was 3, where his father had started the successful livestock business Peter Gallerani & Sons in East Corinth. He was raised in East Corinth and Bradford, Vt., and graduated from Bradford Academy in 1955. Paul never went to college but was mathematically gifted and could multiply and divide six-figure numbers in his head.
A young Paul was able to charm a very special Bobbie Arey of Plainfield, and they were married on August 25, 1956. Their relationship was deep and loving for all of the 66 years they spent together. Two children followed their marriage, Peter and Carol. Paul took over the running of Peter Gallerani & Sons, Gallerani’s Livestock and Market, and Gallerani’s Commission Sales in 1961, with Bobbie often at his side while also raising their children.
Paul was particularly close to his father and his elder brother, Peter. Peter also passed away from pneumonia, at 29 years old after an automobile accident, when Paul was only 13. He talked of Peter often throughout his life. Tragically, his other brother, Francis, also passed away from pneumonia at 3 years old, before Paul was born.
Paul had three distinct careers. Gallerani’s Market was destroyed by an electrical fire in 1974, and he continued to run the livestock business until 1975, when it was sold. He became president of Bradford National Bank in 1976, where he had been a board member. Bradford National Bank became a subsidiary of the Independent Bank Group in 1991, where Paul was also president. Paul focused his banking career equally on working with farmers (a much larger part of Vermont’s economy at the time) and small businesses, as well as the individual needs of the local community.
In 1987, Paul and Bobbie joined Carol and Skip in the purchase of Farm-Way, forming and maintaining a very successful partnership to the end of his life. In 1996 he joined Farm-Way in Bradford full time as an active business partner, where he remained until his death. One of the great gifts Farm-Way provided Paul and Bobbie was the opportunity to work with Carol, Skip, and Paul’s grandchildren Paul and Shelby. He grew up in a family business, and he passed away still active in a family business.
Peter and Jeanne, also nearby, maintained a very close connection to Paul, as did his grandson Nicholas, now of Miami, Fla. Countless enjoyable hours of discussion centered on business, investments and sports. Paul, before he passed, was able to see another generation, in Matteo, to continue the Gallerani name.
Paul loved his family and friends deeply and will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends. Paul had a rare gift of becoming instant friends with almost everybody he met, and many of these casual friendships developed into deep friendships. He was unusual in that, at an age when his old friends were passing, he continued to cherish the company of new friends who were often much younger than him, and that helped to keep him young at heart until the end.
In his heart, Paul was always a farmer and cattle dealer but also an historian who experienced the decline of farming in Vermont over his lifetime. He regretted the loss of the rich landscape of farming and the impact of that loss on small communities, but he was also hopeful that a new Vermont full of vibrant, small communities would gradually emerge, just as dairy farming communities replaced sheep farming communities in the early 20th century. People from near and far enjoyed sitting under Farm-Way’s tent to chat about old times, business and anything else. He was a gifted salesperson, making sure people left with something, even if it was just a good story, a cup of coffee or a cookie.
Paul was a devoted Catholic and a member for 74 years of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Bradford, where he and Bobbie were generous contributors of time and money. Paul was also one of the first altar boys in the church just after its construction in 1950.
Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2025, 4 to 7 p.m., at the Hale Funeral Home, 187 Upper Plain, Bradford, VT. A mass will be performed on Sunday, May 4, 2025, 3 p.m., at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 115 Upper Plain, Bradford.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memoriam to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 115 Upper Plain, Bradford, VT 05433.
Arrangements are in the care of Hale Funeral Home, 187 Upper Plain in Bradford.
Those wishing to express online condolence may do so at halefuneralhomes.com.
This article appears in Mar 19-25, 2025.