Martin Joseph “Marty” Callaghan III

Martin Joseph “Marty” Callaghan, III

January 25, 1940 – August 10, 2025

Marty was preceded in death by his parents, May (McBrearty) and Martin Callaghan Jr., and sister, Kathy.

He is survived by his wife, Karen; eight children: Erin Gubbels (Chris), Elizabeth Skinner (Tom), Martin IV (Angela), Emily Rinard, Enid Callaghan, Mary Callaghan, John Callaghan (Kirsten), and Meaghan Callaghan; fifteen grandchildren: Molly, David, Emma, Alyssa, Hannah, Martin V, Caitlin, Josie, Alex (Aaron), Andrew, Daniel, Rayna (Dakota), Lily, Everett, and Cameron; six great-grandchildren: Dean, Nathaniel, Calvin, Eloise, Vivienne, and Emerson; brother, Charles Callaghan (Vera); and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family.

VISITATION: Sunday, August 17, 2025 from 5pm to 7pm at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 11802 Pacific, with VIGIL SERVICE at 7pm.  MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: Monday, August 18th at 10:30am at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church.  Interment with Military Honors: Evergreen Memorial Park.

Memorials are suggested to St. Robert Bellarmine Knights of Columbus or St. Vincent de Paul Society.

To view live broadcasts of the Vigil Service, Mass, and Graveside Service, please visit www.heafeyheafey.com and click on the “Live Cast” button at the top of the home page.

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Marty Callaghan, 85, died peacefully on August 10, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska.  Born in Savannah, Georgia, on January 25, 1940, he was the youngest of five children born to Edward Linton and Julia Ganem.  Following Edward’s sudden death, Julia made the difficult decision to place the children for adoption. May and Martin Callaghan, Jr. adopted Marty when he was ten months old. He was one of three children adopted by the Callaghans.

Marty grew up in Macon, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida.  After graduating from Bishop Kenny High School, Marty felt a calling to the priesthood and enrolled in St. Gregory Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. Realizing his calling lay elsewhere, Marty left seminary and eventually attended Jacksonville University until he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served for two years in the military police, earning the nickname of “The Rock”. After being honorably discharged, he went back to Jacksonville University, graduating with a BA in History.

Marty met Karen Metcalf on a blind date in January of 1967, and they were married on November 25, 1967. In 1968, Marty was offered a position at Stuyvesant Insurance in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he began his lifelong career in Human Resources. Marty was actively involved in The Cathedral Church of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown, where he and Karen became deeply involved in a Catholic lay movement known as “Cursillo”, which focused on Christian renewal and evangelization.

In 1981, Stuyvesant was bought out by a company headquartered in Omaha. Marty and Karen drove halfway across the country with seven children in tow along with his blind aunt, a Dominican nun. The eighth of their children was born the following year.

From the start, Marty loved Omaha, where his southern accent was a bit of a novelty. Marty had a successful career in Human Resources, much of which was spent as the Assistant Director of Human Resources at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. At UNMC, he was genuinely interested in getting to know the employees and ensuring they had a quality work environment. With his knack for remembering people’s names, he endeared himself to everyone he encountered and couldn’t walk down the hall without getting multiple “high fives”. Marty was actively involved in the Human Resources Association of the Midlands and was proud to be a lifetime Senior Professional in Human Resources.

When Marty was not at work, he could usually be found on a soccer field. For many years, he served as a referee for Catholic Youth Soccer League.  Untold miles of running up and down soccer fields resulted in knee replacements later in life, but he remained passionate about the game and was proud to be one of only a handful of referees who could run as fast backward as forward.

Marty’s first loves were his faith and family, and he was equally devoted to both. With his solid faith, Marty became actively involved in Holy Cross Parish when he first moved to Omaha. Over the years he served on the Board of Education and as Director of Athletics, and also volunteered at countless events. For Marty, “guy’s night out” consisted of 7:30 a.m. Mass on Saturdays followed by breakfast with his best friend. On Sundays he made sure the Callaghan children were sitting up front at Mass, and if he thought they hadn’t sung with enough enthusiasm, he made them line up and sing at home. LOUDLY.  Eventually Marty’s home parish became St. Robert Bellarmine, where he was an active volunteer, serving in numerous positions for as long as his health allowed. As a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, Marty served as Grand Knight for a time and volunteered with the Knights tirelessly.

Marty‘s eight children were his pride and joy, and he loved each of them unconditionally. He was their moral compass, instilling in them a profound sense of right and wrong and respect for their elders. Because Marty was never afraid to stand up for what he believed in, no matter how unpopular, his children learned from him to stand up for themselves, to do the right thing, to not back down from a fight, and to march to the beat of their own drummer.

Marty’s sense of humor was legendary. He excelled at telling jokes, poking fun, singing silly songs, and refusing to take life too seriously. He was pleased to see that all of his children inherited his sense of humor (and have taken it to the next level!).

Marty was fiercely proud to be an American and was unapologetically patriotic. He was equally proud to be a Callaghan, although he was half Lebanese by birth. He loved all things Irish, especially the whiskey! He could often be heard singing Irish songs loudly and off-key. A trip to Ireland with his brother fulfilled a lifelong dream.  Later in life he was able to meet his biological siblings and became very proud to claim that  part of his heritage as well.

It is fitting that Marty was nicknamed “The Rock” while in the military, because he truly was a rock to so many. Certainly, he was the cornerstone of the Callaghan family as well as its patriarch, and we all looked to him for guidance and strength and reassurance.  Simply put, Marty was a force of nature and the very best of men. He will be missed beyond measure.

Goodbye, Marty, our Rock. Until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

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Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler, West Center Chapel,  7805 W. Center Rd., Omaha 68124, 402-391-3900, www.heafeyheafey.com