Paul James Mulholland

August 16, 1946 ~ April 6, 2015

Paul J. Mulholland, 68, Brandon, SD, passed away peacefully, with sons by his side Monday, April 6, 2015, at the VA Medical Center, in Sioux Falls, after a long battle with ill health.

Gathering for a celebration of his life will be held in Richland Center, WI, at a later date.

Paul was born on August 16, 1946, in Richland Center, Wisconsin, as the son of Paul M. Mulholland and Avis (Schweiger) Johnson. He was married to Loren (Cale) and had a step-son, Benjamin. Paul later married Beth Mantey and had two children; Jimb and Tom Mulholland. He was thrilled to spend time with his two grandchildren, Warren and Amelia. He loved to visit his sons and grandchildren, and would always talk about his pride of his family.

Paul grew up as one of seven children and attended school in Bloom City and Richland Center, WI. After high school, he joined the Army during Vietnam and spent most of his service in Germany. When he finished his Army service, he attended University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Human Services.

His career centered on helping people via social services. He reached the top of field in mental health and human services administration, first as a Unit Chief in Rock County, WI, then as Director of Wood County (WI) Human Services, where he implemented several cutting edge programs, and finally as Vice-President at the Human Service Agency in Watertown, South Dakota. He was remembered as a forward thinking administrator that was interested in integrating technology to better serve the community.

He took great pride in his farm while his sons were younger, and took fond satisfaction cleaning up and improving the property and raising animals and being outdoors. Paul was an avid motorcycle rider, and you could find him on a bike nearly any nice day. He liked to tell the stories of his cross county motorcycle trips. He was a yearly Sturgis attendee for many years, and owned many brands and styles of motorcycles over the years.

In his retirement, he loved travelling, especially to the mountains out West, and putting many miles on his ATVs and UTVs. Paul was a regular at coffee shops around Sioux Falls, SD, and enjoyed spending time with his service companion dog, Tim, and keeping up with the latest gadgets and TV shows. Paul is survived by his two sons, Jimb (Rachel) and Tom; two grandchildren, Warren and Amelia; his four siblings, Judy (Tom) Harasti, Joyce (Bob) Dray, Margaret (Cecil) Groves, and Mike (Sue) Mulholland; and many nieces and nephews.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents, and two brothers, Thomas and Steven.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial scholarship has been established to the Lake Area Technical Institute Foundation (LATI) in Watertown, SD, in Paul’s honor.

LATI Foundation
PO Box 730
Watertown, SD 57201

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