Two former Bishop McDevitt High School teachers recently passed away.

Michael F. Galante

Michael F. Galante, a former government and politics teacher at Bishop McDevitt High School in Glenside, died on Thursday, February 1. He was 71 years old.

According to his obituary, he moved to Telford after marrying Mary Lou (Buchenauer) Galante, with whom he shared over 43 years of marriage, and lived in a log cabin on Cowpath Road until his passing.

Galante also taught at Lansdale Catholic High School and served for many years as a judge of elections. He umpired high school baseball games and co-sponsored a team in the Donofrio Classic high school basketball tournament in his spare time.

After retiring from a 30-year teaching career, he worked at the National Constitution Center, drove for Manheim Auto Auction and Ciocca auto dealerships, and traveled the world with his wife. “He rode a camel in Morocco, made arancini in Sicily, and saw the tulip fields of Holland,” his obituary said.

James Donald Heron

James Donald Heron, a literature, history, and math teacher at Bishop McDevitt, died on Sunday December 31, 2023. He was 75 years old.

According to his obituary, Heron received an M.A. in Math Education from Beaver College (Arcadia University) in Glenside in 1990 and taughtArchdiocese of Philadelphia students at Bishop McDevitt, Landsdale Catholic, Cardinal Dougherty, and Archbishop Wood high schools.

A Class of 1973 Lancer posted the following on Heron’s behalf: “He was known for being strict but extremely knowledgeable. Many of us also remember how cool he looked…with his longer hair, mustache and beard. Jim Heron also taught the children of some of our classmates.”

A Celebration of Life will be held in the Philadelphia area in the coming months, his obituary said. 

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Photo: williamsbergeykoffel.com, virginiacremate.com