Rose Mary Mullen Monihan (1923-1992)

Rose Mary was born in Lemont, Illinois on May 9, 1923. She was the oldest daughter of the late Edward Richard Mullen and Phyllis Hord Mullen. She is also predeceased by her husband, Donald Monihan. They had no children. Rose Mary had five siblings: Dixilie Ann Banowetz Raffa; Kenneth Allen Mullen; Colleen Flint Helm; and Gerald Edwin Mullen, all deceased. Her youngest brother, Philip Mullen, currently resides in California.

During her childhood Rose Mary's family lived in Chicago, Oak Park, Decatur, and finally Westchester, Illinois. She graduated high school at Nazareth Academy. After finishing high school she lived for a while with her Aunt Mildred in San Francisco. A few years later in 1947 she joined the US Army. While serving in the military she met and married Donald Monihan who was from Brockton, Massachusetts. During his enlistment they were stationed in Morocco and Japan for extended periods. This suited Rose Mary very well as it provided her an opportunity to visit many surrounding countries. She was very interested in the people and cultures wherever she lived and traveled. She often wrote to her family members about her experiences and the first hand knowledge she gained from being in so many places around the world. She left a treasure of photographs that she took wherever she ventured.

Eventually, Rose Mary and her husband returned to the U. S. and were stationed at Luke Air Force base in Glendale, Arizona where she went to work as a secretary. She fell in love with living in the desert and the culture of the local Native Americans. She was very disappointed when her husband was reassigned to England, Air Force base in Alexandria, Louisiana. Less than a year after his reassignment, he tragically died from a self inflicted wound. After spending several months living with her family Rose Mary decided to return to Glendale, Arizona. She was immediately rehired at Luke Air Force base as an administrative assistant where she was a highly valued employee and received many achievement awards during her 29 years of service there.

Rose Mary Monihan, 69, died of natural causes on August 8, 1992 at her home in Glendale, Arizona. She was very highly regarded and loved by her siblings and extended family. Her ashes were buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Mesa, Arizona close to where her parents and sister, Colleen Mullen Helm, are interred.