Obituary of George H. Mulligan Jr.

George H. Mulligan Jr. of Cicero passed away Monday at St. Joseph's Hospital with his daughters at his side. He was 96. A native of Syracuse's West End, he was the son of George and Mary (Dineen) Mulligan. He married Agnes Catherine Orr at St. John the Evangelist Church and celebrated 72 years of marriage prior to her passing in 2012. He enjoyed golf, bowling, fishing and traveling the world with his wife. He was the long-time proprietor with his brother, John of Mulligan's Sports Shop on State Fair Blvd. and was widely known in Central New York as an ardent supporter of and contributor to area hunting, fishing and conservation organizations. In 1995, he was nominated for election to the New York State Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame by the Onondaga Anglers Association and the Onondaga County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame later that year. Among his many accomplishments were creation of Onondaga County's first fishing hotline more than 50 years ago, co-sponsorship of the Wally Tabor outdoor film programs that made annual appearances in Central New York in the l960s and '70s, and many unsung donations of fishing equipment to youth angling programs. A veteran of the U.S. Navy in World War II, he served as a First Class Motor Machin-ist aboard the USS Breeman, Destroyer Escort 104 which was assigned to a task group to provide antisubmarine support for transatlantic convoys. He later served on the USS LSM-473 in the Pacific. In addition to his wife, Mr. Mulligan was predeceased by a son, George H. Mulligan III; two brothers, John and Leo Mulligan; and three sisters, Kate Dix, Betty Ropchak and Mary French. He is survived by his daughters, Margaret (Bob) Tomeny of Cicero and Maureen (Bill) Tomeny of Baldwinsville; grandchildren Jill (Dan) Hess of Macedon, Rob (Lisa) Tomeny of Yorktown Heights and Jennifer (Michael) Stacchini of Franklin Square, L.I.: great-grandchildren, Christopher and Alexa Stacchini, and Kaitlyn, Ryan, Owen and Violet Tomeny; a special sister-in-law, Patricia Adams of Mattydale; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. The family wishes to express a special "thank you" to the caring staff at Elderwood and St. Joseph's Hospital 2-8 staff. Services will be held on Saturday, April 25 at 10:30 AM at the Chapel in the Onondaga County Veterans Cemetery. Calling hours will be Friday, April 24th from 4 to 7pm at the Edward J. Ryan and Son Funeral Home, 3180 Bellevue. Ave. In lieu of flowers, friends wishing to do so may make contributions to the Wounded Warriors Project, PO Box 75817, Topeka, Kansas 66675 (woundedwarriorproject.org).