KATHLEEN WARTHA MULLER

MULLER, Kathleen Wartha A Life of Loving Service and Joyful Music Kathleen Wartha Muller, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and aunt, of Auburndale, Massachusetts, passed away on November 10, 2025, at the age of 83. Kathleen was the wife of Dr. James Muller; the mother of Susan Muller, Brian Muller and Emily Muller; and a grandmother to Molly Manning, Abby Manning, and Annika Satkowski. Kathleen was born in South Bend, Indiana, on November 8, 1942, to Irene and Rudolph Wartha. At age two, her mother, who was from a village in Hungary, was rejected from a steamship to the U.S. because of an eye infection. Otherwise, her mother would have been a passenger on the Titanic, and the world would have been deprived of the joy that was Kathleen. Kathleen's passion for life was easily recognized in her beautiful piano playing and singing. She cherished memories of playing piano with her sister, Dolores, in South Bend, while laughing and singing in natural harmony. These early moments with Dolores led to her becoming a multi-instrumentalist, playing not only piano, but also the banjo, and at age 60, becoming an excellent drummer. Kathleen mastered complex pieces of Beethoven, Bach, Brahms and Chopin, expressing their emotions through her natural variation of dynamics and tempo. Her drumming could bring to life the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and, to the amazement of her children, Led Zeppelin. Her early teachers recognized her brilliance and suggested she obtain a baccalaureate in nursing at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She found a piano at Marquette and played during breaks from her studies. She graduated in 1964 and continued lifelong contact with her classmates. In 1967, after serving as an instructor at Marquette, she entered a novel program to enhance the scientific training of midwives at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. She learned to deliver babies and traveled to homes in inner city Baltimore to provide pre and post-partum care. Influenced by Catholic social teachings, she planned to take her midwifery skills to needy patients in the Mississippi Delta. In 1968, while delivering a baby, she met Jim Muller, a Hopkins medical student, whom she married six months later. In the 1970s, Kathleen gave birth to Susan, Brian and Emily, and provided a life filled with love and enhanced by music. She remained close to her sister, Dolores O'Brien; and was a loving aunt to Bill, Tom, Mike and Shannon O'Brien. After moving to Boston in 1973, she organized a Lamaze childbirth education program for expectant mothers. In 1994, she obtained a Boston University masters of science degree to provide early intervention for infants with developmental disabilities and mothers with postpartum depression. In 1996, she moved with her husband to Lexington, Kentucky, where she provided psychotherapy for patients from Appalachia, and played a role in founding the Gill Heart Institute. Upon returning to Boston in 1999, she completed a fellowship in behavioral health at Harvard Medical School, and began a 24-year practice as a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist. By the time of her retirement at age 80, she had provided over 50 years of care for patients. Kathleen was unafraid to take risks to help her family, a friend, her community or the world. In the week before her death, she purchased a refrigerator magnet of James Joyce saying, "'Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age." Despite the government shutdown causing risks for air travel, she flew to New Orleans to visit a friend who was ill, and died suddenly after a fall. In addition to her contributions in maternal health, child health and psychotherapy, Kathleen worked in partnership with her husband on the global problems of prevention of nuclear war, child abuse by priests and heart attacks. For each endeavor she was a contributor at the beginning, and the activity reached a world scale. In 1972, Kathleen and Jim traveled to Moscow as members of a U.S. governmental delegation that led to a U.S.-USSR health cooperation agreement signed by President Nixon and General Secretary Brezhnev. In 1975, with Susan age five and Brian age three, they lived in Moscow as participants in U.S.-USSR health cooperation against heart attacks. In 1978, the joint research and trust led to the creation of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). In 1985, the family attended the IPPNW World Congress in Budapest. After dinner in a tent for 200 overlooking the Danube, Hungarian dancers with high red boots entered singing and dancing. Kathleen was the first to join the dancing, and all soon followed. Three months later, IPPNW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. A picture of Kathleen and her husband is now on display at the Wellesley Historical Society. In 2025, she and Jim met in the Vatican with Cardinal Tomasi, a leading advisor to Pope Leo XIV, on prevention of nuclear war. In 2002, after the Boston Globe revealed the sexual abuse of children, Kathleen urged formation of a discussion group at St. John's Church in Wellesley. Her suggestion led to Voice of the Faithful, which became a worldwide organization that continues to be helpful to the Catholic Church. She also served as a partner of her husband in his work against heart attacks. It is hard to imagine a more successful life. During her 83 years, Kathleen provided love, joy and , when needed, skilled professional assistance to those in need. We can best honor Kathleen by following the marvelous example she provided of a selfless, joyous life, dedicated to the good of others. Visitation will be at Henry J. Burke & Sons Funeral Home, 56 Washington Street, WELLESLEY HILLS, MA, on Sunday, November 23, 2025, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. John the Evangelist Church, 9 Glen Road, Wellesley Hills, on Monday, November 24, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., followed by refreshments in the church basement. Interment will be private. Donations in Kathleen's honor can be made to the All Newton Music School. www.allnewton.org/kathleen Henry J. Burke & Sons BurkeFamilyFuneralHomes.com