doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Sad news Alfred W Gallifent - RIP

Dear Dave,
I'm' not sure if/how this can get posted, as I am not a registered member of the doublegunshop forum. However, I've noticed that my dad's name, Alfred W. Gallifent, of Warrington, has been mentioned in different posts as being a good person to repair guns.
It is with great sadness that I write to you to inform you that my dad passed away a few days ago. I'm not sure if you have a place for such notes on the website, or can post it in a forum to let previous customers know.
Thank you,

Stuart Wyss-Gallifent

Death Notice in Philadelphia Inquirer:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/Philly/obituary.aspx?n=ALFRED-WYSS-GALLIFENT&pid=129456501

WYSS-GALLIFENT, ALFRED, 63 of Warrington, died on July 7, 2009 at his residence. Funeral services will be held privately. Memorial contributions to the Doylestown Hospital Hospice, c/o development office, 595 W. State St., Doylestown, PA 18901. Online condolences may be made at
http://www.shellyfuneralhomes.com

I'll never forget Alfred telling me that he could bend the stock of my H&H Royal "Like a Bananna". I'll miss him.

My thoughts and prayers to his family. The only exposure I ever had was reading that wonderful article in DGJ. A sad loss to the trade, he made what appear to be beautiful guns.

H&H

Alfred was a good man. I always enjoyed visiting him in his shop and would sometimes spend hours there talking to him and watching him work. There are not many still left in this country that are as talented as Alfred. I will miss him. My thoughts and prayers to his family.
He had one of my hammerguns for over a year, so hopefully I will be able to get it back.

As the eldest son of Alfred W Gallifent, I would like to thank Dave W. for posting the initial notice of my father's death to this forum. Alfred was a great dad and a great gunmaker.

Towards the end, my dad tried to finish and/or return any firearms that were still at the workshop. However, if you have something that still needs to be returned, please contact me privately at:
stuart.wyss@gmail.com
We will make every effort in the coming weeks to locate and return your gun(s).

Thank you for the kind words and thoughts about dad.

Stuart Wyss-Gallifent

Stuart,

My sincerest condolences to you and your family. The loss to the gun world cannot match the loss to your those who loved him.

My condolences to the Gallifent family. Although I never met Alfred, his praises are always sung by my gunsmith, Abe Chaber, whenever I visit with him. Truly a loss to his family and us all.

Mr. Gallifent was as much an artist as a gunsmith. He restored several side-by-side shotguns for me and my two sons over the past 10 or 12 years. We will always treasure these shotguns that display Alfred's art in metal and wood. A visit to Mr. Gallifent's shop was always an educational experience. Alfred would explain either what he was going to do or what he had already done when you dropped off and picked up your shotgun. Alfred's shop was full of tools that he had made himself for special applications. His self made tools were both functional and beautiful. Alfred's knowledge and appreciation of the history of SXS shotguns and his willingness to share that knowledge was fabulous. He had several books upstairs in his shop that were dedicated to British patents that covered firearms. Several times Alfred showed me the history of a shotgun that I would bring to him for repair by pointing out the patent numbers and then letting me read about these patents in his books. I always learned something when I visited Alfred.

Good Shooting To You Alfred, Jent

This little anecdote may tell those who did not know Alfred what a can do type of guy he was. Years ago, when Alfred was building the new shop, he had excavated the foundation area and the footings. He had notified the inspectors that the footing holes were ready for inspection. This was late in the week and the inspectors said they could not come until early the following week. Heavy rain was predicted and Alfred had a major hole in the ground. He contacted the concrete people and told them to start sending trucks until he told them to stop. Early the following week, the inspectors arrived and were livid to find a concrete slab even with ground level. Alfred greeted them with drawings and calculations together with a receipt from the concrete company to prove, in Alfred's view, the dimensions of the footings and the slab. Apparently, the inspectors were not amused, but Alfred finished the building without further harrassment.

I feel fortunate to have known Alfred and call him a friend. I'll never forget the time spent in his shop discussing all manner of things. Brilliant gunmaker aside, Alfred loved many kinds of music and could make a clawhammer banjo ring. The upper floor of his shop was stacked with chunky, buoyant diver decoys that he carved himself as well as other sundry artifacts from an interesting life well lived. Alfred held strong opinions and rarely suffered idiots for long but I've seen him wield a turnscrew like a magic wand and his depth of knowledge was prodigious.

Rest In Peace my friend. You may have finally "fallen off your perch" but you won't soon be forgotten.