Reminder to the community:

FAREWELL to TOMMY MULKERN

CALLING HOURS at Furber & White:
TODAY: Tuesday, March 26 • 3-6pm

MEMORIAL @ Our Lady of the Mountains
TOMORROW: Wednesday March 27 • 11am
followed by a gathering at the Shannon Door.

To HONOR TOMMY:
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully asks that donations be made to any of the following:

• The Timmy Mulkern Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to local students studying culinary arts or hospitality;
• The Tom Mulkern Scholarship Fund of the McDonough Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarship funds to students employed at golf courses in the Mt. Washington Valley;
• or Partners in Health of Maine.

FULL Obituary:

Thomas M. Mulkern passed away peacefully in his home on March 14, 2024, at the age of 88.

Tommy was born Aug. 20, 1935, to Joseph P. Mulkern and Catherine Egan Mulkern, of O and 2nd St., South Boston. He moved with his family to Jackson, N.H., in 1953 and graduated from Kennett High School in 1954.

When his parents, Joe and Kay, purchased the Oak Lee Lodge in 1953, Tommy discovered his hospitality calling. He served in the Army from 1958 to 1960 and liked to say that he and Elvis kept New Jersey safe when they were both stationed together at Fort Dix, N.J.

He met the love of his life, Nora “Tess” Murphy, when she came to The Oak Lee on a ski trip, and they were married in 1964. They settled in Glen, N.H., and their four children came along soon after.

In 1976, Tommy and his amazing staff, with the help of Ernie Mallett, took a derelict golf course at the boarded-up Wentworth Hall and performed the arduous task of transforming it into the beautiful golf club that it still is today.

Tommy loved Ireland, as Galway was the birthplace of his four grandparents. He played golf in the old country many times and the Irish pub was his natural habitat. In the early ’80s, he completed his vision of turning the Oak Lee Lodge into a true Irish pub — changing the name to The Shannon Door Pub and featuring a young Irish singer named Marty Quirk. He worked day and night for many years to run the Pub and the golf club simultaneously — a labor of love that provided the opportunity to develop deep relationships with his wonderful team members and with thousands of patrons who became extended family.

He was an avid golfer and often had the privilege of playing at world famous courses and events, including an annual celebrity charity tournament with actor Gordon Clapp, where he befriended Red Sox MVP Fred Lynn, among various other famous sports figures.

Tommy always said “yes” when he was asked to help out — volunteering his time, energy and chef skills to countless charitable activities. He and Tess once traveled to Nicaragua with good friend Dr. Robert Bach on a surgical mission and for the dedication of a hospital built there through Dr. Bach’s medical mission, Partners in Health of Maine. He spent hours in surgery on that trip, observing and even helping out when called upon.

Tommy loved music and the way it united people in the Pub. He especially loved Irish music and was fortunate enough to call the famous Irish balladeer, Paddy Reilly, a dear friend. Tommy had a beautiful voice that he would share at rare and precious moments.

Throughout his life, he was a connector of people. He made fast friends with strangers wherever he went and loved to learn their stories. He could recall every encounter years later when he would see them again. Of all his attributes, the one people will remember most is how funny he was. He could find the humor in anything, and his quips and one-liners will be repeated for years to come.

Most of all, Tommy was devoted to his family. He is predeceased by his son Timmy Mulkern; his sister Katie MacDonald; and brother “Red” Mulkern.

He is survived by his wife Tess Mulkern; his sister Alicia Hawkes and her husband, B.J.; his children Kathleen Mulkern and her husband, Reed; Nora Mulkern Bean and her husband, Bob; and Danny Mulkern and his wife, Amy; his nephew Brendan Hawkes and his wife, Renée, and their children, Callum and Kathryn; his nephew Jono Mulkern and his wife, Rochelle, and children, Shea and Finnian; his grandchildren, Mae Van Rossum and her fiancée, Maddie Reis; Liam Van Rossum and his wife, Chantal; Finn Van Rossum; Emily Bean; Madeline Mulkern; and Eiley Mulkern; and his great-grandchildren, Samuel and Simon Van Rossum.

Calling hours will be at Furber & White Funeral Home in North Conway from 3 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, and a funeral will be held at Our Lady of the Mountains church in North Conway on Wednesday, March 27, at 11 a.m. He will be buried in Jackson, N.H., with his son, Timmy, at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully asks that donations be made to any of the following: The Timmy Mulkern Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to local students studying culinary arts or hospitality; The Tom Mulkern Scholarship Fund of the McDonough Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarship funds to students employed at golf courses in the Mt. Washington Valley; or Partners in Health of Maine.