Gertrude "Trudy" Murray Mulligan

February 16, 1923 – December 20, 2017

Trudy Mulligan was born February 16, 1923 in Brooklyn, NY. She died peacefully at Kaiser Hospital, San Diego CA on December 20, 2017 with her daughter Karen and her son Kevin at her side. Her death was the result of complications from a very short bout with Pneumonia. Trudy was the daughter of the late Edward Joseph Murray and Ada Sullivan Murray. She is survived by daughters Bonnie Doherty of Methuen, Massachusetts and Karen Linarelli of San Diego, California and sons Kevin Mulligan of Castle Rock, Colorado, Tim Mulligan of Portland, Oregon, and Dan Mulligan of Methuen, Massachusetts. She was pre-deceased by her husband Deacon Michael Robert (Bob) Mulligan, son Michael Mulligan and daughters Laura and Diane Mulligan. She also leaves behind 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Her sisters Lenore Mould and Maureen Gaskin pre-deceased her but she is survived by her 90-year old sister Bobbi Maline.

Trudy met the love of her life Bob Mulligan when they both moved to Rego Park, Long Island - Trudy was 13 and Bob was 14. Following high school, Trudy attended Mrs. Franklin’s School of Professional Arts in New York City. She eventually left art school to work at the Guarantee Trust Company in NYC. Trudy took a leave of absence to travel to California to visit her sweetheart Bob who was stationed there as a Marine Fighter Pilot. They married within days of her arrival on September 26, 1943 at a quiet ceremony in Pasadena, CA and Bob was shipped out via carrier on December 25, 1943 to fight in the Pacific during World War II. When Bob returned from the Pacific, Trudy joined him in California where their daughter Bonnie was born in 1945. When Bonnie was just 3-weeks old, they moved back to Rego Park, NY where Trudy stayed with her parents until their daughter Karen was born in 1946. Trudy and the girls then joined Bob at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY where he was attending college on the GI Bill. After Bob graduated from college, they moved to Lake Hopatcong, NJ where their son Kevin was born in 1949. Their next move was to New Providence, NJ where their son Tim was born in 1953. Then they headed to Long Valley, NJ where their son Mike was born in 1956 and their daughter Laura Jean in 1958. Their next stop found them in Manhasset, NY where their son Dan was born in 1959 and their daughter Diane Lynn in 1964. A few months after Diane’s birth, Bob and Trudy moved to Andover, MA and eventually ended up in Suffield, CT where Trudy worked for the Internal Revenue Service for almost 20 years and Bob became a Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church in 1983. Trudy and Bob moved to Clayton, GA in 1986 where Bob worked as a Deacon with Trudy by his side helping out at Caring and Sharing, Meals on Wheels and a variety of other ministries. In 1999 Trudy and Bob made their final move to San Diego, CA where they enjoyed many happy years together at their condo in Le Rondelet until her Bob, the love of her life, died in 2005. Trudy remained at Le Rondelet until 2009 and then she moved to St. Paul’s Villa Assisted Living in San Diego where she was still living at the time of her death.

With so many children, if Trudy was asked to name her favorite child, she would reply that whoever was with her at the time was her favorite child! No matter where she went, Trudy made friends and everyone loved her! She enjoyed visits from her many children, socializing with her friends, riding her scooter around town, reading, traveling, and her computer forays into Facebook, Skype, etc. She was quite a woman - a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and a great friend to all - she will be missed by all who knew her!

Services in San Diego have been arranged by Beardsley-Mitchell Funeral Home for Friday February 16, 2018, which would have been Trudy’s 95th Birthday. Her Funeral Mass is at 9:00am at Sacred Heart Church, 4776 Saratoga Avenue, San Diego, CA 92107 followed by a Reception after the Mass in the Parish Hall from 10:00am to 11:30am. Inurnment will follow the Reception at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at 12noon where she will be reunited with her beloved Bob. A memorial mass will be held in Methuen, MA on Saturday January 20, 2018 at 8am at St. Monica’s Church.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be sent to a charity or organization of your choice. Please make donations in Memory of Gertrude M. Mulligan. Thank you!