James Paul Mulvihill

Jim was born June 8, 1946. He had a rough start in life, born as an Rh factor “Blue Baby”, he had to be blood transfused at birth, Jim and Mom were both in the hospital for weeks after his birth. When he was 2 years old the family moved to Arizona for our father’s health. Settling on the Eastside, Jim went to St. Agnes grade school, made his First Communion and Confirmation there. Arizona was a good place to grow up. You could climb trees, dig fox holes, walk or bicycle anywhere your interest and energy took you. Shoes were optional. When Jim was about 5, he followed his older brothers who were walking to catch the bus downtown. He was told he had to go back home, he did not even have shoes on. He tried to jump the wide irrigation ditch to follow them and slipped in on a shard of glass cutting his foot open. The boys ran back to get our father who drove Jim to the emergency room at Good Samaritan Hospital. Within 2 years Jim was back at Good Sam, this time for a colon resection. He had a lower intestinal tract the size of an adult in a 7 year old’s body. Later Jim would have his mitral heart valve replaced in 1998. I took care of him for the 10 days after he came back from the hospital and felt he could handle his life again.

When Jim was 11 the family moved to a larger home on the West Side. Jim finished elementary and graduated from Carl Hayden High School and then Arizona State University where he majored in Elementary Education. Jim lived at home for some of his University but our Dad was forced out of his position as Production Manager for Canada Dry of Arizona, and the parents moved to California for an equivalent job. Jim was on his own working, going to school and in the Army Reserve for 6 years. He persevered at ASU, graduated and was hire as in Elementary Teacher in the Phoenix School System. He was married twice but neither worked out. He dated frequently but decided by default, that as set as he was in his ways, bachelorhood was best for him.

He rented a small cottage on a property of an older couple, in exchange for reduced rent, he did yard mowing and clean up on the 1 ½ acer property. Jim bought a puppy. Rusty was an Irish terrier and a real love in Jim’s life. He was teaching during the day, but the land lord’s wife took care of Rusty during the day, giving him house training as well as basic obedience training. They loved the dog as much as Jim. It was a “win win” situation. Eventually that property was sold and Jim needed to find a permanent home. He always had in the back of his mind that he would be a” homeless old man on the street.” I encouraged him to look for a small home that he could afford. He found the perfect place for himself at the foot of North Mountain Preserve. He could walk just a few blocks from his home and be hiking up the mountain with Rusty and often with his best friend Doug May. He needed to be home at 4:00 PM because the whole of neighborhood’s bird population, sat perching and calling on the electric wires over his back yard wall. Jim kept a barrel of bird seed, liberally throwing it out across the back of his yard. He learned the names, behavior and calls of all the birds. He taught Rusty and later Crockett, they could watch but not chase the birds. He especially loved the quail families that ran his yard. The rabbits seemed to pick up what seed the birds left.

Jim loved teaching and used his accumulated creative abilities and voice, memorizing long poems, old west stories and songs accompanied by his guitar to intrigue the students. This developed into year-long productions where every child had a part and a project to work on, but only after the school work was done for the day. The end result the kids did their school work and grew even more in their own abilities. The productions were put on for the whole school. When Jim retired he missed his kids and classroom.

Another side of Jim was his love for the outdoors. As children growing up in Arizona, our parents took us all on Sunday drives into varied parts of the desert and mountains around Phoenix. It could be to old mining areas, far out trading posts that were still in business, mountains to climb, or a shooting range, always with a picnic and snacks to see us through. Jim was the youngest but he was always with the group. From about age 12 Jim would go deer hunting with my Dad to the south rim of the Grand Canyon or other spot. Jim picked up his love of fishing from his brother Terry and fished with him when Terry came over from California. Jim also found a group of fishing buddies who lived in the neighborhood. Jim would seek out special fishing spots in the White Mountains, beyond where others fished. He had one favorite blind canyon with a spring fed fishing hole where he would camp with his dog Rusty and his trusty old pick-up truck.

He liked to hike through the desert into the Superstition Mountains with his back pack of supplies and water over a weekend. Later in retirement, he would use the mountain preserve behind his house as a work out with the dog and Doug to keep fit.

When Jim lost Rusty, he felt so alone. I suggested he volunteer at the Humane Society to walk the dogs. He did that for many months and then found Crockett, a long legged blond terrier mix. Jim determined with the Vet that Crockett was a cross of an Airedale and a terrier. Jim felt the dog was a “Lurcher”, a sight hound and terrier mix used for hunting with quiet intelligence. That does sum up Crockett. Jim took him for obedience training and then years of agility training and competitions. Crockett was a Star, and won endless competitions. Jim was so proud of his dog. Eventually came to depend on Crockett as a security and would go no-where without Crockett. If he could not take Crockett, he would not go; doctor, dentist, restaurant, stores. In his later years, Jim and Crockett went regularly to the Dog Park on the West Side. Jim enjoyed the conversation of his fellow pet lovers and Crockett could run off leash to meet all the dogs, big and small.

Jim was someone whom the word “Home” was intensely important. In the last 2 years he was in the hospital and rehab many times. Immediately, he wanted to go home. He tried to run away to get home even when he needed the care. He had over a year of Senior Bridge care givers coming every day to assist him with his medications, grocery shopping, preparing meals, washing clothing, cleaning his house and feeding and walking the dog. Only after Jim’s 3rd stroke, with his left side paralyzed, did he submit to going to an assisted living home where someone was there 24/7 in his last 6 weeks. Our daughter Christine watched over Jim’s care when we were away and kept in contact with us. She flew to Phoenix to help Jim settle into the Mardon Assisted Living Home. Chris had the ability to bring so much more out of Jim. He brightened up, was joking with the care givers and then took a sudden turn for the worse. Chris contacted me immediately.

On Jim’s last day, I was able to get a call to him and asked the care giver to hold the phone to his ear. I told him I loved him and God loved him, prayed with him and told him I forgave him and God forgave him. “Jim, I want you now to relax and know you are loved and forgiven.” Jim died 10 minutes later. The care giver later told me, she had not seen a more peaceful passing. Jim was HOME. Marianne Parsons, sister