It is with profound regret that the family of Kerry Mulholland, a lifelong resident of Salem, announces that on December 5th, 2015 she ended a gallant and lengthy struggle against a host of afflictions and succumbed in her sleep to the combined effects of pneumonia and congestive heart failure at the age of 63. Her passing was eased by the capable and compassionate ministrations of the Care Dimensions Inc. hospice providers at Beverly Hospital.
Before entering long term care for the last nine years of her life, she had been employed at the Northern Essex County Registry of Deeds for over 30 years. Previously, she had been graduated from Ste. Chretienne Academy and Marion Court College. Kerry’s time at the Registry had been the happiest period in a life harshly circumscribed by health issues. She enjoyed the work but, to a far greater extent, was energized and enriched by the enduring friendships and associations she formed there. Her coworkers became her second family and a great source of consolation for the rest of life. Moreover, she discovered during her time working with her customers how truly rewarding public service can be for those who derive joy from helping people.
From 2005 on, Kerry was not only confined to a nursing home; she was essentially bedridden, following a series of surgeries on her legs and spine. During those trying days she became an avid reader of history and political science, a passionate follower of current events, with particular emphasis on the political scene, and her abiding love of movies intensified. She remained to the end determined to be engaged in life and was unaccountably stoic in the face of the stark reality that circumstance had reduced her involvement in it to that of spectator. Whatever else she may have lost to her illness; she never lost her most precious asset, her sense of humor. It is hard to pity someone who refuses to indulge in self-pity. She will be missed by her many friends and admirers.
She was predeceased by her father Bernard T. Mulholland and her mother, Carol (Harrington) Mulholland. She is survived by her brothers, Brian, of Salem and Bernard J Mulholland, of Stoughton; her maternal aunt, Dr. Nancy D. Harrington of Salem; and her three nephews, Scott, Brad, and John Mulholland of South Boston.
A funeral mass will be celebrated in her honor on Thursday, January 14th, 2016 at the Immaculate Conception Church (15 Hawthorne Boulevard – near Pickering Wharf) in Salem at 11:00 A.M. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salem High School Scholarship Fund in the name of Kerry’s mother, Carol Mulholland. For guestbook, please visit www.LevesqueFunerals.com