Howard A. Mullens

MULLENS- Howard Mullens passed away on May 13, 2011 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. He was born on September 29, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois to Wesley and Blanche Grunnett Mullens. Howard’s youth was spent in Des Moines, Iowa, and for the last two years of high school he and his family lived on a farm in Milo, Iowa. He loved particularly to tell stories of working on the farm and hunting pheasant and quail there. He attended Iowa State Teacher’s College (now University of Northern Iowa), where he obtained a BA degree. At college he met and married Nancy Lockwood, his beloved life partner to whom he was devoted and happily married for nearly 60 years. He taught high school biology and driver’s education in Audubon, Iowa. In 1956 he and Nancy chose to live in Denver, where he entered the personnel management field. They later moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, and Howard worked in personnel for Levi Strauss and Company. Nancy started a Hallmark Card Shop business, and she and Howard built it into a successful enterprise before taking full retirement. In 1998 they moved to Rio Rancho to reconnect with the sunny western climate they loved. Throughout his life, Howard immensely enjoyed interacting with people, and he readily made friends wherever he went, whether at work or merely walking around the neighborhood. He believed sincerely in volunteerism, our obligation to work toward the greater good, and felt we were all truly blessed to live in this wonderful country. He loved the outdoors, nature study, and hunting and fishing. Camping was a favorite activity, first with his whole family and later as he and Nancy graduated to steadily more luxurious ways of doing that, progressing from canvas tents to motor homes. Music was another passion, and he played cornet and had a professional-quality tenor voice that rang out with his guitar over many a happy campfire or party. Howard leaves behind a family who loved him and will miss him tremendously. Besides his wife Nancy, this includes 3 sisters- Cleo Hansen of Mesa, Arizona, Dorothy Dutton of Fruita, Colorado, and Dora Witt of Tucson, Arizona. His two children include a son, Bradley (Teresa) Mullens of Riverside, California and a daughter, Beth (Greg) Busby of Manitou Springs, Colorado. His 4 grandsons are Corey Reddin of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Ben Busby of Fort Collins, Colorado, Christopher Mullens of Chicago, Illinois, and Patrick Mullens of Riverside, California. A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18, at Daniels Family Funeral Services, 4310 Sara Road SE, Rio Rancho. Mr. Mullens’ care has been entrusted to: Daniels Family Funeral Services Sara Road Chapel 4310 Sara Road SE Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87124 505-892-9920