John H McNulty

John H. McNulty, known by all as Jack, passed away at home in Barnard, VT on October 23rd, 2025 due to cancer. He was 72. He expressly forbade us from saying he "fought a courageous battle" against cancer, as he always hated that phrase. As he put it, you don't fight cancer - you wake up every day, listen to science, and do the best you can to live life on your terms, which he did for six and a half years.

Jack was born on November 12th, 1952 in Boston, MA to Florence (Kehoe) and Bernard McNulty, and grew up in Milton, MA. He never lost his Boston accent. He attended St. Mary of the Hills School before becoming a proud "double Eagle", graduating from Boston College High School in 1970 and Boston College in 1974. As a young bachelor, he lived with friends in Falmouth, Marblehead, and then his beloved South Boston - the fun times were aplenty. Jack worked in software sales for 45 years as a salesman and sales manager at financial tech companies including Burroughs Corporation, BKW Systems, Digital Equipment Corporation, BMC Software, Informatica, and Q2. He loved building relationships with his colleagues and customers, and was always proudest of seeing salespeople that he mentored succeeding in their careers.

Jack married his sweetheart Susan (George) in 1983 after meeting at Burroughs and falling in love, and moved to Walpole, MA in 1987 to raise their family. Susan and Jack were a consummate team in everything they did, balancing and respecting each other in beautiful ways throughout their 42 years of marriage and raising three children, Laura, Erin, and Peter. He always said Susan was the smartest and most compassionate person he ever knew, and that he "married way over his head." Their shared love of skiing led them to purchase land in Barnard, VT in 2005, where they eventually built their dream home and moved full-time in 2017. Skiing at Killington was one of his greatest joys for nearly 50 years.

Jack was an avid athlete, playing and coaching baseball (and cheering on his beloved Red Sox), playing pick-up basketball well into adulthood, golfing whenever he could, and dabbling in rugby in college. But nothing matched his love of running. He ran over 34,000 cumulative miles during his life in 17 countries - including countless 4:30am runs before work, two Boston Marathons, and 45 consecutive Falmouth Road Races, all of which were meticulously tracked in written logs and eventually an Excel spreadsheet. One of his favorite experiences in his life was running along the Cliffs of Moher in 2015 in his ancestral home of Ireland, at sunrise with his daughter Laura.

Jack was many things - playful, effusive, adventurous, discerning, tough, disciplined, stubborn, famously impatient and endlessly loving. He was a storyteller, a jokester, and a performer, doing bits and making up songs out of nowhere that became strange and delightful family staples. He loved to learn, devouring non-fiction books one after the next. Trying as many Vermont craft beers as he could was easy with his legendary 'hollow leg', and he was always down to share a pint and enjoy the company of others. He was a true listener, and loved to ask people about themselves. He was passionate about caring for his home, becoming a skilled amateur carpenter and landscaper. Above all, Jack was born to be a father, and putting his family first was second nature. He would get genuinely and endearingly confounded when he heard of anyone not showing up for their families. His deep pride in his children was apparent to all, and he loved getting to know their friends and partners too and welcoming all into the McNulty fold. All he wanted to do in his final weeks was to watch old home videos of his family.

Our family would like to thank all the brilliant and kind doctors, nurses, and administrators we got to know in the Cancer Center at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center - especially his oncologist Dr. Konstantin Dragnev, who was with us from diagnosis through the end. We'd also like to express our deep gratitude to the amazing caregivers of Visiting Nurse and Hospice for VT & NH, and the White River Valley Ambulance team who helped us on the hardest days.

Jack is survived by his loving wife Susan McNulty of Barnard, VT, and his three beloved children and their partners - Laura McNulty and her husband Alex Bedig of Malden, MA, Erin McNulty and her husband Philip Palmer of Seattle, WA, and Peter McNulty and his partner Haylee Conradi Rochler of Seattle, WA. He also leaves behind his four siblings, Jean Callahan of Scituate, MA, Kathleen Larson of Milton, MA, James McNulty of Westwood, MA, and Robert McNulty of Hyde Park, MA; numerous brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and cousins; and a circle of cherished friends, many of whom have been by his side for nearly 60 years.

To quote an Irish proverb, "Death leaves a heartache no one can heal; Love leaves a memory no one can steal." Rest easy, Jack. You are beloved, and your utter joy lives on in all of us.

A celebration of life will be held at Story Chapel at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA on Sunday, November 9th, 2025. Please arrive at 12:30pm for a 12:45pm service start time, followed by a gathering and light fare. All are welcome.

Donations in Jack's name are deeply appreciated and can be made to: Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire, White River Valley Ambulance, and the Dartmouth Cancer Center (please direct to the Cancer Research Funds, and designate for Lung Cancer Research).