Thomas M Mullin Jr

Thomas Martin Mullin Jr., loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on March 18, 2020, in Orange, California.

Tom was born on May 18, 1931, in Detroit, Michigan, to Thomas Martin Mullin, Sr., and Florence Mullin (ne’e O’Neil), and was the eldest of eight children. He graduated from Little Falls High School in upstate New York. In 1953, near the end of the Korean War, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He trained as an aircraft mechanic and served in U.S.-occupied Germany. He was honorably discharged in 1955 and moved to San Diego California, where his parents had already relocated.

Tom married Janet Kirby in 1961, in San Diego, CA. They moved to Orange and had four children: Thomas Martin Mullin III of South Gate CA; Sean Michael Mullin of Temecula, CA; Kevin Padraic Mullin of Boise, ID; and Nora Maureen Croix.

Tom married Ethel Mullin (ne’e Feder) in 1975. They had one son, Joseph David Mullin of Oakland, CA. Tom was also involved in the lives of Ethel's older children; Michael Rosenthal of Toronto, Canada and Michele Rosenthal of Kerem HaMaharal, Israel; as well as Ethel’s grandchildren.

In California, Tom spent his career in the aerospace industry. He worked for more than 40 years as a precision mechanical inspector at Ford Aeronutronic and its successor companies ultimately retiring from Lockheed Martin in 2010.

Tom loved history; sailing and sailboats; planes and aviation; and enjoyed books and movies about those same topics. He played guard on the Little Falls High School football team, and was a lifelong football fan, as well as a proud supporter of his sons who played in high school and college.

He was a devout Catholic throughout his life and a parishioner for many years at St. Norbert Church in Orange. He began attending San Antonio de Padua Church when he moved to Anaheim in 2013. In his later years, Tom discovered an abiding love for choral singing. He sang in the Orange Community Master Chorale, as well as in church choirs at both St. Norbert and San Antonio. 

Tom was preceded in death by his wife, Ethel Mullin; his former wife, Janet Ryan; and his siblings Barbara, Joseph, Robert, David, and George. He is survived by his sister Florence and brother Steven, his five children, eleven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at San Antonio Catholic Church in Anaheim Hills, California on June 19, 2021 at 11:00am. Interment will be a private ceremony for close family.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to OC Master Chorale. Donors can contact Choir director Michael Short at mshort@ocmchorale.org.

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