PRINCETON: Crash victim remembered as active, caring

By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
   A Princeton family is grieving the loss of their father, grandfather and husband after a fatal accident earlier this week.
   William Gallant, 71, of Montgomery, a well-known Princetonian, died in a two-car accident on County Route 539 in Plumsted Township in Ocean County on Monday.
   Mr. Gallant grew up in Princeton Borough.
   Monty Gallant, Mr. Gallant’s youngest child, said one of his favorite memories about his father was of him coming to all his sporting events as a child.
   ”You always knew he was there when you were playing; he was screaming in the stands,” he said.
   Mr. Gallant loved sports.
   ”He would spend all day going to any game he could,” said the younger Gallant. “He loved to watch his grandchildren play sports. He would go to all their games. He would show up on the motorcycle and all the children would say, ‘That’s your grandfather?’”
   The 71-year-old was a very active, doing 500 sit-ups nearly every day.
   ”We all thought he’d live a long life, that’s why this is such a shock,” his son said. “He’d watch TV at night and do sit-ups during the commercials and then he’d call me and say he’d just done 500 sit-ups.”
   ”The shock hasn’t even set in yet as each day goes by,” he said as he prepared to go to the funeral yesterday. “What aggravated everyone was these newspapers kept talking about these Steinert stars.”
   It has been reported that the two 17-year-olds in the other car involved in the accident are baseball players at Steinert High School in Hamilton. They were reported to have received minor injuries.
   Several Monmouth and Ocean County news sources have reported that law enforcement sources said the teen driving the other car fell asleep at the wheel and drifted into Mr. Gallant’s lane.
   Mr. Gallant was a football star during his time at Princeton High and was captain of the team during his senior year in 1957.
   ”He had good leadership qualities,” said Allan Wood of Cranbury, one of Mr. Gallant’s closest friends. “I didn’t play with him. I was too young I was on the freshman team.”
   Mr. Wood and Mr. Gallant became close in later life because their wives were friends.
   ”He made friends easily and very social,” Mr. Wood said. “He was an easy guy to know.”
   ”He had friends from all walks of life. I’m a construction guy,” said Mr. Wood. “He’d do anything for you. a year ago I had shoulder surgery and he took me around when I couldn’t drive.”
   Mr. Wood used to ride motorcycles with Mr. Gallant.
   ”He was a very good friend,” he said. “We talked on a daily basis and saw a lot of each other; he was always around, this is going to be tough.”
   ”He used to come in and say something smelled good, and sit down with us,” said Mr. Wood.
   ”He knew everybody, he was like the mayor, he had friends everywhere,” added the younger Gallant, a financial adviser who lived in the borough during his 20s in his grandfather’s house on Erdman Avenue and has an office on Nassau Street. “He would go all over the place.”
   The elder Gallant, who was in the insurance business, was still working up to his death.
   ”He was working full-tilt,” said his son. “He did group benefits, so he’d get to go from place to place, visiting people.”
   This love of people and life was one of his finest qualities, according to those that knew him best.
   Taylor Toussaint, a Burlington County resident who was good friends with Mr. Gallant, said “If you asked him for a favor at any time, he would help you without hesitation. If you were in jam, he would be there. Billy was on the way to help me with my boat that morning. It’s been a rough week. I would see him all the time.”
   The family had deep ties to Princeton, with his father, Augie, serving on the borough police force and growing up on Erdman Avenue, said Mr. Toussaint.
   ”You know when they talk about people and they say they are one of a kind, I don’t think I met anybody as energetic as Billy,” he said. “He was a character, and he’s been a character forever. He didn’t slow down a bit.”
   Mr. Gallant liked to fish with Mr. Toussaint.
   ”It’s what we did every Monday from May to November,” he said. “We’d go deep sea fishing, weather permitting.”
   ”Billy was still surfing,” said Mr. Toussaint. “He still had a surfboard and used it. He was a big kid.”
   The Ocean County prosecutor’s office confirmed the accident is under investigation, but would give no details.
   Ocean County Deputy Chief Michael Mohel confirmed an investigation is being conducted by the vehicular homicide unit of the OCP and the Plumsted police.
   No charges have been filed.
   The funeral was scheduled to take place this morning at St. Paul’s Church on Nassau Street.