John Francis Mulcahy, Jr. of Yarmouth Port, formerly of South Yarmouth and Arlington, died peacefully in his home on December 29, 2016. He was 101 years old. He was a Professor Emeritus of Cape Cod Community College and a Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) of the United States Army Reserve. He was a member of many professional and military organizations, and was a Past President of the New England Sociological Association. He was born in Arlington on September 28, 1915, the only child of Cecelia Bailey and John F. Mulcahy, both of Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland. His mother sadly passed when he was two. In Arlington he attended Saint Agnes Parochial School and graduated in 1934 from Arlington High School. For the next five years, a period of time he called “The Dark Years” in his memoirs, he worked at many jobs in the greater Boston area, including as a taxi driver in Watertown and a psychiatric nurse at McLean Hospital in Belmont. In 1939 his father passed away, and in December of that year, he enlisted as a Private in the 211th Coast Artillery Regiment, a unit that was federalized in December, 1940 and sent to Camp Hulen, Texas, where he was promoted to Sergeant. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the 211th was sent to the West Coast, where his “F” Battery guarded Hamilton Field, California, and where he was promoted to Staff Sergeant. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in September, 1942, and served in the United States Army in the North Atlantic and Pacific theatres. During the Battle of Okinawa in May and June of 1945, he commanded a machine-gun platoon in Company “M” of the 32nd Infantry Regiment in the 7th Infantry Division. As a result of a battle line visit by the regimental commander, Colonel Finn, and the new Army Commander, Lt. General Stillwell, he was promoted to First Lieutenant. In subsequent action he was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Bronze Star Medal for Valor. After the battle he was appointed Regimental Communications Officer. At war’s end the 7th Division was sent to occupy South Korea and his 32nd Regiment had its three battalions spread across the 38th Parallel Line. He served in the Army Reserve until 1968, retiring as Lieutenant Colonel. After the war he attended Tufts College. He received his BA in Education in 1949 and his MA in Sociology and Criminology the following year, while working for the Massachusetts Department of Correction in Bridgewater. His Master’s thesis was somewhat instrumental in the abolition of prison terms for vagrancy. In August, 1951 he wed Ruth Marjorie Holman, of Everett, also a graduate of Tufts. In 1953, the couple moved to the New Bedford area, living first in Mattapoisett and then Fairhaven. The couple’s two sons were born while they were living in Fairhaven. He served as Parole Officer in the Fall River-New Bedford area for six years, until 1959 when he was appointed Director of Research in the Office of the Commissioner of Probation in Boston, at which time the couple moved to Arlington. A few years later he was appointed Assistant to the Commissioner. In September, 1968, he joined the faculty of the Cape Cod Community College to teach Sociology and Anthropology, and the family moved to South Yarmouth. Soon after his arrival he helped to set up courses in Criminology Science with invaluable assistance from local Police and Fire personnel. His main personal field of study in Anthropology was pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. He was able to spend several January vacations and his Sabbatical investigating archeological sites in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. In August 1986, after 18 years of service to the college, he was appointed Professor Emeritus of Cape Cod Community College. In the early 1970’s he and his wife took part in the re-establishment of the Cape Cod Tufts Club, and he was elected co-chairman during its first year. Both he and his wife were also active in the Cape and Islands Chapter of the United World Federalists, especially in its establishment of the Aletta Root Scholarship awarded each year to a graduating Social Science student at the college. After retiring from the college, he enjoyed giving and taking classes at the Academy for Lifelong Learning at the college. He continued a life-long habit of writing poetry, and was especially grateful for the camaraderie and fun involved with various poetry groups at the college. For many years he enjoyed walking and swimming at the South Yarmouth beaches. After living for 34 years in South Yarmouth, the couple moved to Heatherwood in Yarmouth Port in 2003. His dear wife passed away in 2012 after 61 years of marriage. He was a charming, industrious, and generous man who will be greatly missed and long remembered. He leaves behind his two sons, Robert Stearns Mulcahy of East Amwell, New Jersey and Richard Sean Mulcahy of Bloomington, Indiana; two daughters-in-law, Betsy Dawson Cotton and Ann Marie Mulcahy; and his grandson, Seamus Dawson Mulcahy; his sister-in-law, Lorraine Holman, and several nieces and nephews. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Cape Cod Community College Educational Foundation, 2240 Iyanough Road, West Barnstable, MA 02668, with a reference to The Aletta S. Root Endowed Scholarship. A graveside service will be held at the Massachusetts NationalCemetery in Bourne at a date to be determined.

A long life well lived by a gentle man and a dear friend to John, Gretchen and me.

Met John & Ruth in the early 70s & last spoke with John after he became a "centurion". Enjoyed time together on Cape Cod, Japan, Hawaii, the UK & Indiana. Soft-spoken force of nature with a wonderful family. God Bless & ALOHA. -- Bruce & Aimee

I want to pass along condolences to Mr. Mulcahy’s family and sincere thanks from me and my colleagues on the Board of the Academy for Lifelong Learning for his service to A.L.L. in its early stages, helping to make it what it is today. He sounds like a very interesting man who led a rich and rewarding life.

What a beautiful tribute to your dad, you did him proud! He was a wonderful and humble man and is already dearly missed! Nancy