Gerald William Mulhern

Together Again

Mulhern, Gerald (Jerry) William, 89, of Wheeling, WV, passed away on January 3, 2023 at Valley Hospice Liza’s Place Care Center South, in Wheeling.

Jerry was born in Homestead, Pa., on August 28, 1933, the sixth child of the late Michael Francis and Anne Gertrude Mulhern. He attended Homestead High School in Pittsburgh, worked as a brick layer, and in 1953, enlisted in the US Army and served two years during the Korean War. In 1956, he studied at the University of Pittsburgh and then went to technical college to become a computer technician. Jerry married Mildred Horvath on September 7, 1957 and settled in Wheeling where they raised two children and became part of the fabric of the city, doing everything together.

Jerry was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and working man. He spent nearly 30 years in the IT industry working as a computer technician for Sperry Univac/Unisys Corp. in the Ohio Valley, but it was his volunteer work with Wheeling youth that helped define both he and Millie as children of God. They were partial founding members of The Chemical People Task Force, an organization that started Youth Appreciation Week and after-prom parties for area high schools in an effort to keep teens safe in their celebration.

Perhaps their greatest impact came from their love of playing tennis as they championed the sport with area youth for many years through the Wheeling-Oglebay Tennis Club, the Ohio Valley Tennis Academy, and the City of Wheeling Recreation Department. Jerry and Millie spent countless hours on the tennis court together, teaching the game to young people. Even after Millie’s death in 2014, Jerry remained devoted to youth tennis and being the best “Pappy” to his grandchildren.

Jerry leaves behind his daughter, Maureen Denfeld and her husband Paul, and their three children, Michael and his fiancé, Dottie, Jeffrey, and James, and his son Gary Mulhern and his wife, Tricia Richardson, and his twin daughters, Emily and Abigail Mulhern, and her sons Patrick and Gavin Kearns. In addition, Jerry is survived by two sisters-in-law, Marion Mulhern and Clara Mulhern, and several nieces, nephews, and family members that love him dearly.

Jerry was also preceded in death by his five brothers and sisters and their deceased spouses. They include William Mulhern, Robert (Lucille) Mulhern, Mildred (Edward) Pellis, Eileen (George) Gawloski, and Lawrence Mulhern.

The family is grateful to the staff of Elmhurst, House of Friendship; Valley Hospice; Dr. William Mercer; as well as Jerry’s many neighbors, family, and friends for their loving care and support of Jerry.

Friends will be received at Altmeyer Funeral Home, Elm Grove Chapel, Wheeling, on Friday, January 6 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Vigil service and reflections will be held at 7:30 p.m., with Mass of Christian Burial celebrated at St. Michael Parish in Wheeling at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 7.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to either the Wheeling-Oglebay Tennis Club, for the Millie Mulhern Youth Tennis Program, c/o Zoo/Operations – Oglebay Park, 465 Lodge Drive, Wheeling, WV 26003 or the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department’s Project HOPE, 1500 Chapline Street, #106, Wheeling, WV 26003. Contributions can also be online by clicking the links above.