John C. McMullen Service Information

John C. McMullen, 72, of Quakertown, passed away Monday, January 9, 2023. He was the beloved husband of Kathleen (Coleman) McMullen for 48 years.

Born April 19, 1950 in Philadelphia, he was a son of the late John C. and Helen (Swiderski) McMullen.

John was a Philly kid who attended elementary school at St. Edward’s followed by St. Bartholomew’s, and high school at North Catholic High School. Directly after high school, he along with a couple of buddies, enlisted in the Marine Corp and served in Vietnam. 

John drifted around from job to job for a bit until he decided to go into the Carpenter’s trade where he attended apprentice school and graduated to a journeyman carpenter. The building trades at that time were not bustling and there was a lot of time spent moving from job site to job site. When an opportunity arose to join the Philadelphia Fire Department, John decided it sounded like a great way to spend a career. He served in the Philadelphia Fire Department as a firefighter and an EMT for 18 years. 

The next opportunity came as a surprise. Since John always regretted never going to college, when the VA offered him a full time scholarship to attend college, he decided to retire from the Fire Department and attend Manor Junior College along with his daughter Carly. So off they went every day, father and daughter, on their way to school. When John completed his associate degree in computing at Manor, he moved on to LaSalle University and completed his undergraduate degree in computer science.

John’s next career move came as a position working as a Veterans Service Representative at the VA Administration. This is where he spent the next 10 years working to help Veterans get access to their benefits. Shortly after, he was joined by his daughter Jill who worked with him for the next few years.

It was at this point in time that he, along with his wife Kathy, decided it was time to leave the city behind and move to the suburbs and bought their dream home in Chalfont where they resided for 13 years. After which, they moved to Quakertown into a 55+ community where they have been for the past 10 years enjoying the good life that retirement has to offer. They began traveling, squeezing a good deal of trips into those 10 years. John took to collecting. He enjoyed collecting coins, baseballs and some other sports memorabilia. He and Kathy bought a little tiny condo down on the beach in North Wildwood where John loved to sit and just enjoy the peace and serenity of the beach and the ocean.

John was diagnosed with gastric cancer in May 2021. He underwent multiple treatments and surgeries over the following months and was cancer-free. Unfortunately, John’s heart began to fail him. Again, he had various treatments and hospital visits to assist in prolonging his life. He very very much wanted to prolong his life. He enjoyed visits with his family, especially the grandkids, up until within hours of his passing. He will be very missed.

Along with his wife, Kathleen, John is survived by two daughters, Jill McMullen (Peter Crane) of Ottsville and Carly D’Orazio (Matthew) of Chalfont; five grandchildren, Riley, Bronwen, Liam, Xavier, and Isla; two siblings, Rosemary and Patricia; and his beloved dog, Billie Spooner. He was preceded in death by his son, Ryan McMullen; and five siblings, Constance, Kathleen, Deborah, Richard, and Christina.

Relatives and friends are invited to greet the family Thursday, January 19, 2023 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Joseph A. Fluehr III Funeral Home, 241 E. Butler Ave. (at Sandy Ridge Rd.), New Britain. An additional visitation will be held Friday, January 20, 2023 at St. Jude Catholic Church, 321 West Butler Ave., Chalfont, from 10:00 am until the funeral mass at 11:00 am. Interment will follow at St. John Neumann Cemetery, Chalfont.

Contributions in John’s name can be made to the Gift of Life Donor Program and or to Fox Chase Cancer Center.

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