John David Mulholland

John David Mulholland, 72, passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 1, 2024, at St. Patrick's Residence of Naperville with his wife of forty-nine years by his side.
John was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on April 12, 1952 into a large family of Irish and French Canadian descent. He attended St. Jeanne d'Arc and Keith Academy in Lowell and then went to college at UMass Amherst, where he completed his Master's in Education and met the love of his life, Patricia Ann Roberts. They were married on June 21, 1975. Their first home together was a tiny cottage on Bullock's Cove in Rhode Island, where they loved sailing the cove into Narragansett Bay on their little boat. Next they moved to a farmhouse in northern Illinois, where they enjoyed theater and music in Chicago and cross-country skiing. When their daughter was born, they moved back East to be closer to family, first to Essex MA and then Rockport, MA, on beautiful Cape Ann, where they lived with their two children for twelve years and loved hiking in the woods and swimming in the quarries and ocean. John spent many hours working on renovations on their colonial home, built in 1847. In 1991 he and his family moved to Naperville, IL. He worked as a senior instructional designer and consultant for many years for AchieveGlobal, which became Miller Heiman Group. When their children graduated from high school, he and Pat relocated to the Tampa, FL area. They enjoyed eighteen years there, taking day trips, often going to the beach or spending time in their pool. Many wonderful friendships were enjoyed over the years before moving back to Naperville three years ago, as his health began to decline. John's last days were spent in residence at St Patrick's Residence Nursing and Rehabilitation.
Kind, generous, quietly self-effacing and incredibly funny, John was a beloved and devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, son, and friend. He was the family go-to for knowledge of words, terms or names that others couldn't remember, a voracious and incessant reader with a great depth of knowledge and curiosity, a lover of music and trivia, history and travel. His family laughed often, even as it grew with the addition of a son- and daughter-in-law and beloved grandchildren. John told wonderful stories and his strong devotion to his family was always evident. He was a good man and will be terribly missed.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia Roberts Mulholland, of Naperville; daughter Meaghan Mulholland Hutson (Andrew) of Durham, NC; son Jonathan Mulholland (Mary Beth) of Naperville; four grandchildren, and one on the way; sisters Anne Fuerer (Gary) of NC and Patty Mulholland of Maine; several brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces, and their families. He was preceded in death by his brother, Peter Mulholland, and his parents, William and Marie Mulholland and many beloved aunts and uncles.
A Visitation will be held at St. Patrick's Residence, 1400 Brookdale Road in Naperville, at 9 am on Friday December 13, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10am.