Dennis "Kevin" Mulvihill

1968 - 2011

Dennis 'Kevin' Mulvihill

Resident of San Jose

August 19, 1968 - September 27, 2011

Kevin Mulvihill was born in San Jose, California, on August 19, 1968. He passed away unexpectedly on September 27, 2011. He is survived by his loving wife Marisol, sons Amador and Joaquin, daughter Sonoma, father Dennis Mulvihill, mother Megan Bergantz, step-mother Thelma Mulvihill, step-father Greg Bergantz, brothers Sean, Michael and Matthew, and sisters Caitlin, Cathryn, and Sara.

Childhood (1968-1981)

Kevin enjoyed all of his life as a native San Josean. He attended Lone Hill Elementary ('73-'79) and Union Junior High ('80-'81) in the Cambrian Park neighborhood. Baseball was at the center of Kevin's universe growing up. He was drawn to championship caliber and he idolized Steve Garvey and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He would practice baseball in front of the house every chance, corralling the neighborhood kids into another game, or even just another inning. "Let's go!" he would shout, "It's not going to be dark for another 20 minutes!"

As a child, Kevin was never concerned with mementos.

He was always more focused on making each moment count. Kevin loved to spend time in his summers with his extended family of cousins in Sacramento, CA or Madison, WI. As the oldest, he welcomed the role of leader in all that transpired. He invented games and then he would train and coach all the cousins in the rules of engagement and paths toward victory. Kids in the neighborhood and cousins alike- everyone wanted to be on Kevin's team because they knew it was destined to succeed. And if you dared take the other side of Kevin's team, it was only because you thought (in vain) that you may be among the few to beat him.

Kevin valued time. Whether it was the clock ticking down on the scoreboard or an endless summer day on the lawns of Leigh High School playing baseball with his pals, Kevin understood how precious time is. He would never give up until the last out, and win or lose he was always the first to suggest a rematch.

High School (1982-1986)

Kevin attended Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose between 1982 and 1986. Kevin's high school years were characterized by playful experimentalism: music, art, sports, and omnivorous reading and discussions. These youthful explorations would cast a long shadow on his life. One would recall a conversation in a restaurant in Campbell just a week prior to his passing that echoed a subtle point of evolutionary biology first raised at Bellarmine College Preparatory two and a half decades prior. His experiences at Bellarmine would shape much of his later life and his desire and willingness to help others. His ability to correlate, distill, and apply insights in blazing flashes of oratory made him a charming raconteur and popular student. No party or social gathering failed to light up with his presence. His human warmth and emotional centeredness made him a natural mentor and friend to many. He shared his strength, experience, and compassion with others. He embodied for many of us the Jesuit ideal of being a "man for others". He learned many lessons in his own life that allowed him to offer support to those that needed it most.

College and Adulthood (1986-2011)

Kevin completed his Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology at Santa Clara University and finished at UCLA. This study of human relationships and social systems would form a wellspring for his professional accomplishments in the emerging arena of Internet-based start-ups. He was heavily involved in many of the famous Internet and World Wide Web infrastructure companies: Netcom, Excite@Home, and most recently Equinix. It was at Equinix that Kevin's talents found full expression and recognition. He was a core part of the company's success over more than a decade. One only has to speak to his colleges to take a measure of his professional impact. He accomplished it all with grace and humor.

Kevin Mulvihill exemplified the best that one can hope achieve in a rich and varied life. In this he was blessed. Those privileged to have called him husband, son, father, brother, colleague or friend during his life are in total equanimity that he was an essential part of their joy. This was a result of his character and concern for others. His presence was an essential ingredient to many lives stretching over his all too brief forty-three years. For some, he was to be the great intellectual companion, debating topics of philosophy and politics at 2am in a cafe. For others, he was the wise counselor who could reassure them when they doubted whether they were ready for a new challenge like parenthood. His steady confidence and reassurance were inspirational. This gift of strengthening and emboldening others was his hallmark from childhood. He could be the artistic collaborator who could be counted on to compose electronica in free form jam sessions on vintage analog synthesizers. He could be the erudite thinker capable of understanding complex social systems with the eye of a historian.

Kevin's openness to novelty, beauty, and the sheer enjoyment of family and friends pervaded the deepest recesses of his character. This openness made him a superb traveling companion - whether it was to islands off the coast of Italy, Victoria, the Hawaiian Islands, or the deserts of the southwest. His was a mind truly forever voyaging. The ability to share his experiences in language that connected with anyone made his insights resonate. A Kevin "anecdote" could jump from one shimmering idea or experience to the next. People often felt that they were playing a spirited session Hermann Hesse's Glassbead Game with him.

Everyone had a favorite Kevin story: A crazy night on BART going to a New Order concert, racing scouters to the Getty Villa, boogie boarding in Santa Cruz surrounded by sea otters and pelicans, arguing about the relative merits of Kraftwerk vs. New Order, etc. His intellect and love of ideas allowed him to balance philosophy with a profoundly humane touch. Interests in literature were vast. His friends knew the authors that influenced and inspired him: Brett Easton Ellis, David Foster Wallace, Epictetus, JG Ballard, Jorge Louis Borges, and the metaphysical poetry of Rumi. Nothing was more fun than hanging out at the Upstart Crow in Campbell with him and participating in caffeine fueled discussion lasting well past closing hours. One recalls a telephone call while on vacation on a Kauai from Kevin. He was calling to tell you how much he loved the Art of Living by Epictetus that you had recommended. This was Kevin's style and ebullient nature. His enthusiasm for life overflowed in many directions. He wanted you to connect with that relentless energy and curiosity. You could not help falling under his spell.

Kevin was an avid San Jose Earthquakes fan and season ticket holder. With his sideline seats, he enjoyed taking his family and friends while he heckled opposing teams and cheered on the Quakes and enjoyed the games with a loud passion. He not only watched soccer, but played indoor soccer several nights a week. He liked being healthy and active and playing the game he had grown to love.

His commitment to his family was the core of his life. He took paternal pride in the many accomplishments of his children. From artistic accomplishments to amazing successes in sports, Kevin could not help beaming with joy as he related these things to friends and co-workers. His deep involvement in their lives was a deliberate act of someone committed to loving and showing his concern in the smallest acts. The love and devotion of his wife Marisol was a vital ingredient of his accomplishment and serenity as an adult. Marisol was an integral part of the man Kevin became. This transformed a brilliant friend and colleague into an accomplished father and husband. The love of his wife and children were his foundation stones. Simple acts such as coaching his sons on their basketball teams or attending his daughter's artistic performances were the most important things in his day and nothing came before those things. A day never went by without many, many kisses, hugs, tickles, I love yous, chats about the school day, questions about basketball practice, and words of love and encouragement to his children and affection and care for his wife. They were the center of his universe. His deep love for his family was always felt. He loved his wife and children more than anything in the world and they knew it and felt it every day. He always said that everything he did was for them. Not many people are so lucky to have had a father or a husband like Kevin.

His ability to be a true and steadfast friend was exceptional. His nonjudgmental nature made him a natural confidant and aide to people in his orbit. He could always be counted up to provide assistance "without the lecture". Compassion without judgment.

In the ancient world, people spoke of eudemonia, the creative flourishing of a human life in every aspect of its unique being. Today we speak of "being in the zone" or having "flow".

Kevin had perfect flow.

This flow is foundational and difficult to measure but its presence can be felt. As Saint-Exupery's wrote, "What is essential is invisible to the human eye." In Kevin, it was undeniable. His closest friends and confidants could see it in the twinkle of his eyes and his relaxed manner when surrounded by his family.

His passing leaves an indelible hole in innumerable lives. The gift of his life was to enrich and inspire those around him. Each life is unique and finite. Knowledge of this finitude is the root of its intrinsic beauty and profound sadness. The Japanese have an aesthetic concept for this called Wabi-Sabi. It stresses the beauty and impermanence of things. The ending of a life draws our attention to the sadness but our memories resurrect its beauty in our hearts. This is the true eternity of the human soul. We celebrate the excellent life of Kevin Mulvihill as we mourn his tragic, untimely passing. The Mulvihill Educational Trust has been established to provide friends and family the opportunity to acknowledge this brilliant man of infinite jest and good will.

Friends are invited to attend a Vigil Monday, October 3, 2011 at 7:00 P.M. at LIMA-CAMPAGNA-ALAMEDA MISSION CHAPEL, 600 S. Second Street, San Jose with Visitation beginning at 12:00 P.M. Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 10:30 A.M. at Holy Spirit Church, 1200 Redmond Ave, San Jose. Interment to follow at Gate of Heaven Catholic Cemetery, 22555 Cristo Rey Drive, Los Altos. A reception at Kevin's home will be held following the burial. All are welcome to attend everything.