Golda K. Mullins, Jr
June 6, 1918 - March 28, 2006
Obituary
Golda was born in Port Townsend behind the now famous Staufer Mansion. He lived in Sacramento where his brother Ira was born. At age 5 the family moved back to Seattle, then to Auburn and at age 9 moved back to Seattle to live in the Pearl Street house of Grandpa Cox. His brother and sister, who were twins, were born. Golda attended Whitworth grade School, where he met lifelong friend Bill Thompson, and then Franklin High School. He was not into sports, but enjoyed the drama department. His first job was delivering newspapers and he made enough money to buy his own bicycle which was later stolen. This broke his heart. After Franklin, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps where he was stationed at Lake Cushman WA and earned $1.00 a day plus room and board. The first car that he bought was 1927 Nash. Golda spent 6 months with the CCC and learned to play the guitar while there. He left the CCC and took a better paying job at King County Hospital in Georgetown for $75.00 a month and room and board as an orderly. He worked there 3 years and met Jim Allen. This is when he met his first wife at a dance where her dad, Grandpa Litch, was playing the fiddle. After a short courtship he and Arletta were married. Soon afterwards came the birth of Pat, followed by Peg, then a third daughter Mike. He discovered the joys of boating when he and a friend Darrell Smith bought a converted life boat.. It leaked like a sieve and kept breaking down. He decided to upgrade after a time and he bought, with partners, a cabin cruiser that had been totaled out in an explosion. It took lots of time, money and hard work, but the BIMOGEDA brought many more years of pleasure boating. He will always remember the night he spent in jail for tearing up a traffic ticket. He hired in at Boeing in 1940 and worked there for 42 years. His first job was in the flight test department, a job he loved. Golda got to travel on assignments to Moses Lake, California, Wichita, Kansas, and in 1959 he and Eileen wife # 2 one day after divorce from Arletta spent three years at Ft Walton Beach FL. Dad loved to travel by car boat or plane, even trains. Eileen survived two cancer operations before her sudden death after 15 years of marriage. He married Anna in 1975 and they enjoyed traveling until her health prevented her from going. Also dad’s driving. Golda is survived by his estranged wife Anna; his daughters Patricia Ray Hanchett, Peggy Bob Horton and Michel Vic Marrano; his stepchildren Donna Sbarbaro, Gwen Kling, Bob Wright, Ray Wright and Betty, his brother Gay Mullins, his grand children Karen Latham, Joanne Doug Hunter, Leslie Mike Hunter, Gena Talaga, Monty Hall and Duane and Stephanie, 17 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grand children. He was preceded in death by his brother Ira and sister Mary.
My dad loved playing guitar, usually with a group of other players, including his brother, and singing with relatives and friends. He taught us classics like “Adam How Had a Jersey Cow,” and “When I Say No, No, Uh, Uh, Uh,” and “A Funny Melody.” He even came to his granddaughter Leslie’s fourth-grade class and taught the kids how to sing a couple.
Along with music, he loved to ham it up whenever he had the chance, whether acting or speaking at what is now Leading Knights Toastmasters, an avid member for 40 years. I followed in his footsteps – starring in plays at Franklin High School – and winning a gold medal for taking first place in a speech contest. When he tried to learn ventriloquism with his dummy, The Colonel, and couldn’t pull it off, he improvised by concealing a tape recorder inside The Colonel’s head and pre-recorded questions and answers. He loved to paint. When he had heart surgery years ago he painted several scenes to give to people who donated their blood. He was a pretty good artist…..at scenery. But he never quite made it as a portrait painter. He sent it to Pat and Ray for Christmas. When they opened it, their cat took one look, screeched and flew out of the house. Don’t think they saw her for 3 days.
Just about two weeks before his death, he purchased a new $10,000 leg. He lost the real one running a stop sign on his motorcycle at age 85. We’re donating it back to Hangar Prosthetics, and they’ll ship it overseas. My sister Pat says, “Well, Dad loved to travel. He can’t make any more trips, but his leg is going without him.”
Once Dad was at Foundation House he purchased a scooter – and always traveled at high speed, much to the fear and trepidation of other residents. But, hey! He had wheels. He started getting pretty forgetful; but he never forgot how to play Cribbage – and boasted to everyone when he’d win two out of three when we played. My husband Bob became his power of attorney and handled many emergencies over the past couple of years, like keeping his meds in order, writing checks, getting him out of numerous contracts he’d sign up for on the Internet. We think he kept a lot of those companies in business. They’re going to miss him, too. One of my jobs was to keep his computer up and running – an ongoing task. But the things he enjoyed most were his computer, sending new jokes every day to Cousin Ed, his Toastmaster’s group every event had to be planned around Wednesday nights and he truly enjoyed smoking, drinking Coke, and eating ice cream. While we were cleaning out his apartment, we found unopened baloney and cheese in his frig dating back to May, ’04; but he had 4 half-gallons of newly purchased ice cream.
Dad’s reputation at Foundation House was being a character, always cheerful, making people laugh. He still loved to see new places, come to our homes for celebrations made it to midnight New Year’s Eve. He never failed to tell us how grateful he was for everything we did for him. I think a lot of people are going to miss him. I know I will.
I am very sorry to hear about the passing of your father. We knew him as Grandpa Moon. I am Anna’s great granddaughter. My children were able to meet him before we left for Germany a few years ago. I am sorry that I did not get to know him more. He was actually the only great grandpa I knewMy grandpa Wright died before I was bornand my family and myself are all the better for knowing him. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Bobbejo Wright Taft
Worked with “Moon” for many years at Boeing Flight test Condiolences to the family.
One of my earliest memories of Uncle Moon was when he came to visit us in Oceanside, California. I remember that he was so much fun that we had to vie with the neighbor kids for his attention! He converted the vaccum cleaner into a blower and chased balloons up into the air.
I always think of him playing the guitar, and singing along. with my father Ira.
“There was a tree in the woods, the very best tree that you ever did see… and the green grass grew all around and around, and the green grass grew all around.”
I will miss him.
Aloha, Star
Sorry to know another long time fellow employee at Boeing Flight Test has left us.
Just remembering a Franklin High School classmate of the Class of 1936. Once a friend always a friend.
Our love to the family, with happy thoughts of Moon sitting on the Horton porch, chatting with us as we partied together.
Sorry I never got to meet this distant cousin.
sorry to bother you but I believe we have an original painting of your fathers brother or husband or grandfather AGM 86 ALCM done in 1981 by a Boeing artist Mullins my father got it from a SPO Vice President of Boeing my father was the office manager of the company transferred here to Dayton Region