N. Marilyn (Marr) Mula

MULA, N. Marilyn (Marr), died on April 3, 2024, at the age of 90, at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. She passed after a brief illness. Marilyn was born in 1933 to John and Dorothy (Lewis) Marr, and lived her early years in Wollaston, where she attended North Quincy High School and met her husband Richard, who attended rival Quincy High School. They were married in 1955.

She attended Fisher Junior College, where she learned essential business and bookkeeping skills that she used throughout her life. She was always proud of her exceptional typing speed and accuracy. Her early career was spent in the corporate offices of the Howard Johnson and John Hancock Life Insurance companies.

She often told the tale of briefly meeting a young Senator Jack Kennedy while playing ‘hangman’ with a friend one afternoon at Hancock’s Boston office. She later worked from home part-time while raising her family and returned to full-time work in the 1980s as her children attended college. She worked for the Mass. Dept. of Health, the Town of Braintree and finally, State Street Corp. in North Quincy before retiring in 2002.

As a young family, Richard and Marilyn moved to Braintree in 1966, where Marilyn lived until 2023. Their home was the family center for those years, a place where many holidays, birthdays and backyard barbecues were celebrated. Marilyn was a great cook, and always hosted a delicious table along with her sister Elaine. An avid gardener, she and her mother Dorothy maintained a large flower garden that gave her many years of pleasure. Marilyn was an avid reader and a skilled knitter, and all her children enjoyed wearing a handmade sweater or afghan during the cold New England winters. She loved games of all sorts and learned bridge and cribbage in her later years. She was also a good candlepin bowler and belonged to several leagues over the course of 50 years.

With roots in Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, she loved the Red Sox and the Patriots and, of course, lobster. Marilyn was a devoted Ted Williams fan and loved to tell of attending Red Sox games with her lifelong Quincy friends Barbara Ann and Lillian. They were inseparable, and shared many years of stories and laughter as their families grew. In their retirement years, they would often take day trips to Foxwoods casino, a favorite hobby for all three. She will be remembered by her family for holding strong opinions and, while never strident, not being afraid to voice them. She was ready with wise counsel and support for her children, who loved and respected her independent personality.

Marilyn is survived by her daughter Leslie Avila and her husband Roy of Rhode Island, and her sons Steven Mula and his wife Karen Smith of New York, Dean Mula and his wife Marie Claire of Hingham, and David Mula andh ife Debra of Medfield. She was a beloved grandmother to Camille, Daniel and Michael Mula; and Jared, Corinne and Jacob Mula. She is also survived by her sister, Elaine Burns, and her husband Joseph of Plymouth as well as several nieces and nephews. Marilyn was predeceased by her husband, Richard and her brother, John.

A private service is scheduled Monday from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM at the Peck Funeral Home, 516 Washington Street, Braintree. A brief burial ceremony will follow at Blue Hill Cemetery in Braintree, MA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her name to the COPD Foundation at 3300 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Miami, Florida 33134. More information is at www.copdfoundation.org.

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