Judy D. Galas

Judy D. Galas, age 82, of O’Fallon, IL, born on February 17, 1943, died on Monday, February 9, 2026, at DePaul Hospital, St. Louis, MO.

Judy was born in East. St. Louis, Illinois and lived in Fairmont City, Illinois as a young child.  She then moved with her family to England due to her stepfather’s military transfer. From England, Judy  and her family moved to Salina, Kansas where she graduated from high school. 

After graduation, Judy moved back to Fairmont City, Illinois where she met the love of her life, Robert Galas. They were married in 1964 and the adventure began. They enjoyed going to Table Rock Lake with their best friends, Jackie and Gary Matt almost every summer weekend after Judy and Robert bought a boat.  

Robert was drafted in 1966 to Vietnam with the Army. When he returned, Judy and Robert started their family. Robby was born in 1969, and Jeff in 1973. Judy was a doting mother who made sure holidays and birthdays were top priorities. Two of her favorite things were taking her boys to Grant’s Farm and the St. Louis Zoo with her mom, brother, and extended family. She was very involved in her boys’ lives, from taking Robby and Jeff quarter midget racing, to getting up at the crack of dawn to take Robby to bird shows. When Jeff got older, he progressed to bigger race cars. Judy would always go to his car races but would sit in the truck and listen to the race over the PA system because she was too nervous to watch him.

Judy was pivotal in helping her husband Robert win two national championships in the USAC Silver Crown racing division where he was the chief mechanic for Delrose-Holt Racing Enterprises and driver Gary Bettenhausen.  She would keep the books, order and pick up parts, and hop behind the wheel of the Suburban and pull a 28-foot enclosed trailer hauling the car to the track while Robert and crew slept in the back after staying up all night working on the car. 

She was the owner/operator of Galas Motorsports, Inc., in O’Fallon, Illinois, where she and the family built and owned Sprint and Silver Crown Dirt Cars.  After they quit building race cars in 2003, she and Robert started Magnum Rotating and Pumps, Inc., also in O’Fallon, Illinois. Judy was the owner/operator until her death.

She loved being “Grammy” to her granddaughter Sophia and would light up every time she saw her or spent time with her. She was an avid dog lover, especially her dog Buffy who passed before her and her current dog, Baby Girl.

She was a loving wife, mom, grandma, mother-in-law, sister and aunt. Of all her achievements, she always said her number one accomplishment was being a mom to her two boys. All her sons’ friends called her mom.  She will be sadly missed by all.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Delphina, nee Martinez Deering, and her siblings, Raymond Deering, Pat McCauley, and Fred McCauley.

Judy is survived by her husband, Robert A. Galas, Sr.; her children, Robert A. “Robby” (Tina) Galas, Jr., of Alhambra, IL and Jeff (Christine) Galas of O’Fallon, IL; her granddaughter, Sophia Galas; 3 bonus grandsons, Brandon Goss, Dylan Goss and Luke Goss; 3 great grandsons, Liam, Noah and Luca; her siblings, Vicky (Bill) Benyr of Florida and Denny (Vicky) McCauley of Pontoon Beach, IL; her sisters-in-law, Connie McCauley of St. Louis, MO, Fern Galas, and nephew, Raymond Galas of Reed Springs, MO; her nephews, Shaun Benyr, Jeremy McCauley, Patrick McCauley; her nieces, Melissa Reuck and Erin McCauley; and a special cousin, Mark Smith of Florida.

Memorials can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Visitation will be held on Friday, February 20, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Kassly Mortuary, Ltd., Fairview Heights, IL.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Fairview Heights, IL., with Fr. Carl Schrage officiating.  Interment will be in Lake View Memorial Gardens, Fairview Heights, IL.   

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