Mary Mullikin

A graveside service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday July 7, 2011 at Oakland Cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday, July 6, 2011 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at Culley’s Meadow Wood Funeral Home, 1737 Riggins Road (850) 877-8191.

Mary was born August 17, 1928 in High Point, NC to Duncan and Lillian Baggett and moved to Tallahassee at an early age. She graduated from Leon High School and later graduated from FSU Nursing School with a degree as a Medical Technologist. She completed her internship at the Florida State Hospital and returned to work in the lab at FSU’s Clinic. Mary married her husband of 60 years, Harry, and followed him in service; she was the only Medical Tech at a small army hospital and was on call for several other small hospitals in the area. In 1967, Mary had radiation for cancer of the tongue and tonsils, and in 1983, she underwent a total Laryngectomy and lost her ability to speak. Despite her disability, she completed over 5,000 hours of volunteer work at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Mary was the one of the first to receive a special laptop computer that would help her communicate with others. She could type in a sentence and the computer would read it out to whomever she was speaking to. Mary traveled to Los Angeles to give a presentation using her laptop computer at the International Conference on Technology and Persons with Disabilities. Mary had a passion for horses and enjoyed many weekends at horseshows with her daughter. She was also an avid reader and could always be found at St. Teresa Beach with a book in hand. Mary loved any chance to see more of the world and especially enjoyed traveling by cruise ship and she even spent her 50th Wedding Anniversary on one with her whole family. She was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church.

Survivors include her husband, Harry A. Mullikin, Jr., one son, Douglas M. Mullikin (Kristin), three daughters, Lynn Lenahan (Richard), Susan Tuttle (John) and Nancy Waddill (Sam) and grandchildren Roger Dunwoody, Kevin Dunwoody, Lauren Dunwoody, Jennifer Mullikin, Mary Lu Smith (Travis), Mary Beth Waddill & Casey Waddill, and one great-granddaughter, Grace Smith. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32308 or Lighthouse Children’s Home, 7771 Mahan Dr. Tallahassee, FL 32309.

Arrangements are under the direction of Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home in Tallahassee, Florida.