Kriti Mehrotra
As a Lee Phillips-directed documentary series living up to its title in every way conceivable, Discovery+/HBO Max’s ‘Six Schizophrenic Brothers’ can only be described as utterly baffling. That’s because it incorporates not just archival footage and recreations but also exclusive interviews to really shine a light upon how mental illness ripped through the entire Galvin family — six of 12 kids were schizophrenic. Amongst those to thus feature in this original was actually John Galvin, the third eldest of this brood yet arguably the one not to have witnessed the majority of internal issues first-hand.
John Galvin Always Kept Some Distance From the Family
Although born in New York in 1949 to Mimi and Donald “Don” Galvin Sr. as their third child/son, John primarily grew up in Colorado owing to his father’s esteemed position in the Air Force. According to his own accounts, he did have a relatively ordinary childhood with a hard-working father, a devoted mother, some sibling rivalries, plus his own set of interests. However, everything soon turned upside down as the competitiveness between his elder brothers, Don Jr. and Jim, evolved into pure aggression – the brothers were athletic and had a strong build, too, so there was often chaos and violence involved.
This led John to spend more time with friends than at home as he grew older, unaware his brothers’ actions were actually early signs of their schizophrenia. There’s also the fact he always avoided being home whenever his devout mother had the local pastor, Father Freudenstein, come over to engage with the kids. He instinctively had a bad feeling about him, just for it to later come to light he apparently used to sexually assault at least Don Jr., something no one knew about until years later.
But alas, it was the rising tensions at home with Don as well as Jim’s diagnosis around the late 1960s/early 1970s that led John to decide he wanted to move on for good. The truth is he’d already moved out to pursue a Bachelor’s in Music Composition/Music Education at the University of Colorado Boulder, so he stuck with it. The fact he’d met his life partner Nancy while attending college was just a massive plus for him, so they tied the knot in early 1971, roughly a year after they had first met.
John then even pursued a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction at Boise State University, all the while convincing his fellow musically inclined younger brother Brian to join him. Though Brian was schizophrenic too, so he dropped out following just a semester before sadly dying in a horrific murder-suicide alongside his girlfriend in 1973. That’s when their family became quite somber, only to then endure further heartbreak as three other brothers were also diagnosed in very quick succession.
Where is John Galvin Now?
Since John vividly remembers hearing about the extremely volatile tendencies of his ill brothers, especially Don Jr. before witnessing it first-hand during a visit, he has always chosen to maintain his distance from them. He believes he’s not well equipped to handle their needs like his mother was or like his youngest sister Mary is, yet is he always ready to offer an ear or a shoulder when things become too much. In fact, per his accounts, he has absolutely no relationship with Don Jr. at the moment – he does sometimes speak to sibling #9, Matthew, as he resides in a care facility in Colorado and has a good bond with his undiagnosed siblings, but that’s it.
Coming to John’s current standing, it appears as if he’s still based in Boise, Idaho, where he resides with his loving wife of 53 years, Nancy Galvin, as well as their loved ones. From what we can tell, they are proud parents of three adult children as well as grandparents to at least three adorable youngsters, so they usually prefer to spend most of their time focused on them. After all, in their mid-70s, this couple is long retired and genuinely enjoys spending quality time with plus supporting not just one another but also those closest to them.
Read More: Mary Galvin: Where is the Youngest Galvin Family Sibling Now?
