Hon. Robert Mulkern Sr.

1922 - 2021

Hon. Robert V. Mulkern

HOLDEN - The Honorable Robert V. Mulkern Sr., born September 26, 1922, in Cambridge to Louis and Josephine Mulkern (Halloran) passed away peacefully at UMass-Memorial Medical Center with family by his side on January 31, 2021. He was 98 years old.

Judge Mulkern had a long career in Worcester as a trial lawyer and an Associate Justice of the Superior Court. Having lost his father at 13, he grew up with his mother and two siblings in Jamaica Plain. They managed through the Depression Era with an appreciation of family, hard work and a strong belief in the value of education.

After serving in the Army in Okinawa during World War II, Mulkern was a fortunate recipient of the GI Bill which allowed him to attend Suffolk University. After only three months of undergraduate studies, he was admitted to Suffolk University law school and then to the Massachusetts Bar in 1951. After finishing law school, he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a Special Agent (1951-1954). After his tenure as an FBI agent, Mulkern entered private practice at the law firm of Fusaro and Fusaro in Worcester. While at the firm, he took cases from the "Voluntary Defenders Committee" a forerunner of the Massachusetts Defenders Committee (now the CPCS). He remained with this firm from 1955 to 1978.

During this time, he and his wife Simone raised their five children in the town of Leicester, Massachusetts where Mulkern served as both Town Counsel and a member of the School Committee from 1958-1961.

In 1978, he was appointed as an Associate Justice of the Superior Court. During his years on the bench, he presided over many high-profile cases. Mulkern retired from the Superior Court in 1992 and joined the firm of Bowditch and Dewey, specializing in Litigation until 2000.

Mulkern was a Fellow of the College of Trial Lawyers, member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Worcester County Bar Association (president 1975-1976) and Knights of Columbus. In 1986, he was honored by the St. Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Worcester, receiving its Distinguished Jurist award.

"Massachusetts has not had a better trial lawyer or trial judge than Robert Mulkern. He tried the toughest of both civil and criminal cases with overpowering talent and his judicial service was marked by his deep knowledge of the law and a recognition that it should be applied with fairness and attention to human frailty. He brought honor to our profession."

- Michael P. Angelini,

Chairman, Bowditch

"I am old enough to have appeared before Judge Bob Mulkern in Worcester Superior…a beloved guy and great judge. He gave me summary judgment in a novel case affirmed in the SJC, which allowed me to argue there at the tender age of 28 (boots shaking). As it were, "not too shabby." - Judge Edward McDonough

"Fifty years later, Judge Mulkern's passionate recital of Kipling's Gunga Din to a gaggle of twitchy kids, including me, still warms my heart…He was the father of the most fun family we knew." -Judge Michael Allard-Madaus

Robert V. Mulkern Sr. is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Simone Marie T. Mulkern (Richard) from Fitchburg. He is also survived by his five children, Robert V. Mulkern Jr. (Janine Shertzer) of Newton, MA, Louis M. Mulkern of Bangkok, Thailand, Sarah R. Morris (Robert P Morris Jr.) of Amesbury, MA, Joanna M. Mulkern (William F Scannell) of Rockport, MA, and Thomas B. Mulkern of Holden, MA. He was blessed with three grandchildren, Kathryn S. Morris, Samuel R. Morris, and Robert V. Mulkern III.

The family will always remember their father and husband for his kind ways, intellect, and keen sense of humor.

Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Judge Mulkern's name to The Nativity School, 67 Lincoln Street, Worcester, MA 01605.