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Donald Franklin Mulligan died peacefully in his sleep at home with his family at his side early Sunday morning, Aug. 31, 2008, after an extended illness.
Born Aug. 22, 1925, in Moline, Ill., Donald grew up in Moline, Ill. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on Nov. 26, 1943, and was honorable discharged on March 21, 1946. He received the Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon with one Bronze Star, a Philippine Liberation Ribbon with a second Bronze Star, as well as a World War II Victory Medal, and achieved the rank of staff sergeant in only three years.
 Donald Franklin Mulligan |
He married the love of his life, Elisa Perez, on Aug. 3, 1947, and lived in the Philippines until 1957. He moved the family to Washington, D.C., where he worked for the U.S. State Department as an engineer in charge of secure communication systems for American embassies around the world. In 1963, the family moved again to the west coast of Africa, where Donald was a project manager for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In 1965, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by the government of Dahomey (now know as Benin) for heroism in preventing a military coup. In 1967, he accepted a position with the Department of Defense to oversee construction of the first U.S. Military Automated Digital Communications Facility in Europe located in Italy. In 1969, he moved his family to Sierra Vista, Ariz., to accept a position with the U.S. Army Communications Engineering Directorate. In 1972, he moved his family to Panama to build a new special radio communications system for the Joint Armed Services and returned in 1975 to Sierra Vista when the project was completed.
After receiving numerous distinguished service award throughout his 38 years of service, Donald retired from the U.S. Civil Service in 1981. He continued to travel extensively around the world with his wife, Elisa, for the next 25 years. He also was an avid model aircraft enthusiast since he was a small boy. His joy for model aircraft was shared by his wife and children, and his family competed in model airplane contests, both nationally and internationally. He was an active lifetime member of the American Modelers Association. He also greatly enjoyed boating and fishing with his family.
Surviving him are his wife, Elisa, of 62 years; his daughter, Kathy Lemann and husband, Paul, of California; his sons, Donald Jr. and wife Cecelia residing in India, Lloyd and his wife Kim of California, Anthony and his wife Lynn of Arizona; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren: Jean-Paul and his wife Debra, Andrea and her husband Vinny and great-grandson Dominic, Vincent, Michelle and husband Mike and great-granddaughter Lola, Daniel, Sandra, Veronica, Michael, and Marie.
The memorial services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5, 2008, at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 800 Taylor Drive, Sierra Vista AZ 85635, telephone 458-2925.
Funeral arrangements are by Green Valley Mortuary Service.
