David Christopher Mullen

David C. Mullen, 40, died in the arms of his wife, just three months after learning that cancer had metastasized to his spine.

David was born in New Rochelle, NY to Jane Mullen (nee Greenfield) and Christopher Mullen.  He was raised in Eastchester, NY and graduated from Eastchester High School in 2001.  David excelled at ice hockey and was a valuable member on the Eastchester varsity squad for several years.  David also enjoyed creating art, drawing, and painting, growing up.

David earned a BS degree from The University of Delaware in 2005.  He worked his entire career at Ernst & Young and, through a work-study program, earned a MS degree in Accounting from The University of Virginia.

As a freshman at UD, David met his wife, Erin, and they eventually married in 2008.  They have been blessed to welcome four beautiful children into this world – Hannah (6), fraternal twin daughters Mackenzie (3) and Riverly (3), and sweet baby Jacob (14mo).  To simply say that David was a patient husband and a kind, loving, and fun father would be an understatement.  He was the best in both these roles and his family told him daily that he was their hero.  David’s kindness and quick wit allowed him to make friends easily, whether it be at school, at work, in the neighborhood, or at play.  He enjoyed playing with his children, cheering for the New York Rangers, playing golf, cards, and taking long walks with his beloved late dogs, Thunder and Sunny.  David and Erin loved to travel prior to starting their family and enjoyed trips to Italy, France, New Zealand, Australia, Iceland, and their most favorite – the Grand Canyon.

David was initially diagnosed with stage IV GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumor) with liver metastases in December 2005 at the age of 22 years.  He endured several surgeries to remove portions of the disease and took multiple oral chemotherapies over the years.  On December 7, 2023, after a week of experiencing severe back pain, David was found to have metastatic disease in his spine.   Over the next three months, David experienced severe pain, went through radiation therapy, and ultimately passed away from advanced disease.  He was blessed to be cared for by providers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer in New York City, and Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA over the course of 18+ years with this disease.

David is survived by his wife Erin and their four children – Hannah, Mackenzie, Riverly and Jacob; also by his mother Jane, father Chris, in-laws Susan and David Luttenbacher, and Todd and MaryJo Salo.  While he didn’t have any biological siblings, David’s close friends from Eastchester are his brothers and we acknowledge them, their families, and the important roles they played in his life. David married into a large family with four sisters-in-law and three brothers-in-law, one nephew and five nieces.

On Friday, March 15, 2024, at Ballard-Durand Funeral Home in White Plains, NY, David’s family welcomes public viewing from 4-7pm with a brief service at 7pm led by Rev. Dr. Robert Hartwell of Bronxville’s Village Lutheran Church.  A private cremation will follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider the following to honor David’s memory:

Donate blood and platelets.  David relied on blood and platelet transfusions in the final days of his life so the family would be honored to have donations made in his name.  Please see the below for more details:https://www.mskcc.org/about/get-involved/donating-bloodhttps://www.redcrossblood.org/

 

One Day to Remember – an organization who provides special experiences for parents with advanced cancer and their young children.  David and his family had planned to enjoy a special day with the help of this organization but sadly passed before this could happen.  https://www.onedaytoremember.org/

 

MSK Cycle for Survival – 100% of every dollar donated goes towards research and clinical trials aimed at defeating rare cancers.  https://www.cycleforsurvival.org/

 

A gift of a plant for the family.  David and Erin enjoyed growing plants during the Covid lock down.  https://easyplant.com/