James Edwin Mullaly,

James Edwin Mullaly, Jr., 75, of Wethersfield and formerly of New Haven, loving husband of Charlene (Dinneen) Mullaly, passed away on Thursday (July 30, 2009) at Hartford Hospital. Born on November 3, 1933 in Somerville, MA, he was the son of the late James Edwin and Florence (Gray) Mullaly and lived most of his life in New Haven prior to moving to Wethersfield ten years ago. He retired from a successful sales career, where he managed purchasing and sales for several wholesale meat distributors. Jimmy had many passions; foremost was his family followed by music and sports. He possessed an intricate knowledge of baseball history and was proud of having attended a 1946 Red Sox World Series game, meeting Ted Williams, and witnessing the Red Sox 2004 World Series triumph. He followed many teams - the Braves, Yale football, the UConn women - but loved any well-played contest regardless of the participants. He was also an avid reader. Besides his beloved wife of 55 years, he is survived by his children, Jeffrey Mullaly and his wife Anna Duer of Middletown, Michael Mullaly, Sr. and his wife Rosemary of Wethersfield, James Mullaly, III and his wife Karen of Killingworth and Michele Mullaly and her husband Stephen Thibeau of Wethersfield; his sister, Rita Christopher and her husband Robert of Wheaton, IL; his adored grandchildren, Michael Jr., Michelle, Charlene, James IV, Sharon, Jason, Katie and Maggie and his cherished great-grandchildren, Shianne, Alese, and Abbi and many nieces and nephews. Funeral service will be Tuesday, August 4, at 9 a.m. from the D'Esopo Funeral Chapel, 277 Folly Brook Blvd., Wethersfield followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at Corpus Christi Church, 601 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield. Burial will be at the convenience of the family. Calling hours will be Monday from 4-7 p.m. at the funeral chapel. Memorial contributions may be made to Foodshare, 450 Woodland Ave., Bloomfield, CT 06002. For online expressions of sympathy to the family, please visit www.desopo.com.