Kevin B. Hogarty

Kevin “Kevasaurus” Bernard Hogarty, sometimes known as Kev Gallagher or simply “the [Expletive] Legend,” passed away peacefully at his home in Manns Choice, Pennsylvania on December 26, 2025. 

Born August 28, 1947, in Queens, NY, Kev lived more in 78 years than many could hope to in centuries. An old-school free spirit, Kev answered the siren song of the hippie movement and spent the ‘60s and ‘70s hitchhiking across the country. He described himself as “bicoastal,” finding homes in San Diego’s Pacific Beach, Topanga Canyon outside Los Angeles, and, of course, his beloved New York City. 

A devout music lover, he was backstage for the Beatles’ first performance on the Ed Sullivan Show; saw The Who’s first American concert, and listened to Neil Young debut a new song on a friend’s porch. He rubbed elbows with the members of the Grateful Dead, Mountain, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Spirit; and often laughed about having been unceremoniously kicked out of a dressing room by the legendary promoter Bill Graham. Kev attended hundreds of concerts, with his beloved Allman Brothers Band topping the list as the group he saw the most. 

Kev worked for many years as a painter and interior decorator. One of his clients, the Waverly company in New York, hired him to hang wallpaper in their showroom for several years running–a talent he compared to “gift-wrapping a room.” He had a yeoman’s knowledge of many of the building trades, and served hundreds of clients, both in Manhattan and across Bedford County in Pennsylvania. He also served a three-year tenure as president of Bedford County’s Habitat for Humanity, lending his expertise to numerous builds for Habitat families. 

In his later years, Kev “retired” to the jamband music festival scene in the mountains of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, where his capacity to share kind words and lend a gentle ear endeared him to dozens of friends who came to love him like family. All of us will dearly miss his warm presence at the picnic table and wondrous stories by the campfire.

Kev is survived by two daughters, Ona Sunshine Hogarty and Jenifer R. Frazier; Ona’s mother and Kev’s close friend, Donna (Brown) Hogarty; his dear friend and confidante Wendy Samuels; his sister, Darcy Gallagher; his cousin, Robert Dirmeir; and a village’s worth of chosen family, whose lives he touched deeply. He is preceded in death by his mother, Marie Dirmeir, and his father, Bernard “Bunny” Hogarty.

In lieu of flowers or donations, his family asks that you treat yourself or a loved one to something nice in Kev’s honor. A Celebration of Life is planned for him for this summer, with the date forthcoming.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.