John "Frank" McNulty

1943 - 2026

Owatonna - John McNulty, better known as Frank to all his friends and family, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 6th, 2026, in Owatonna.

Frank was born on August 22, 1943, to parents Francis and Marie (Williams) McNulty in Jefferson, Iowa. He grew up on a farm in Jefferson, and after graduating from high school, he moved to Minneapolis to attend Dunwoody.

After graduating from Dunwoody, he accepted a job as a Master Mechanic at the Ford garage in Owatonna, MN. While working at the garage, he met and eventually married Elaine Christensen. Shortly after they married, he was called up and served two years in the Army, where he was sent to Vietnam. While in Vietnam, he was wounded in action. The Army awarded him a Purple Heart along with a Bronze Star and a Medal of Commendation. After being discharged, he returned to Owatonna and to his job at the Ford garage until Buzz Kaplan offered him an opportunity to work at OTC. He spent the next 25+ years working at OTC and SPX in sales and automotive tool development.

When not working for others, he spent his spare time working in his garage, golfing, collecting OTC tools, or working on his lawn. He was always ready to lend a hand, offer advice, or tell a good story. Frank's greatest pride was his family, and he was always ready to show off or tell anyone of their latest accomplishments.

Frank is survived by his wife of sixty years, Elaine; his four daughters, Beth (Gary) DeCoux, Sara (Peter) Nyhus, Patty McNulty (Eric Larson), and Shawn (Frank) Dujanovic; and his four grandchildren, Ethan Burt, Isabella (Charlie) Krambeer, Zachary Nyhus, and Jacob Nyhus.

He will be deeply missed by his family, his many, many friends, and by his cats, Gus and Boo.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Visitation will be held at the Brick-Meger Funeral Home in Owatonna on January 20th, 2026, from 3:00 PM until 6:00 PM, with a prayer service and celebration of life beginning at 6:00 PM.