Patrick M. Mulligan

March 2, 1950 - October 7, 2022
In Loving Memory ~
Pat (Paddy) Mulligan passed away peacefully on October 7, 2022. Pat was born in Penticton at the old, Haven Hill Hospital on March 2, 1950. He grew up in Penticton on Kilwinning and then Atkinson Street and graduated from Pen High.
Pat really loved Penticton. He spent 70 of his 72 years living in Penticton where he met his wife Debbie (Poitras). They were married in 1984 and in 1989 welcomed their son Patrick George Mulligan.
Pat was a wonderful husband and father who taught his son, a love of sports, music, and education. The house was usually full of music, as they played guitar for hours, followed by watching his beloved Vancouver Canucks or Minnesota Vikings on TV. Being a loyal fan, he never waivered on cheering for his favorite teams. Unfortunately, his favorite teams often lost. Soon, "there's always next year" became his sports swan song, but he never gave up on them.
Pat also loved to travel and spent many winter vacations with Debbie, son Patrick, and Debbie's parents, either on the Big Island in Hawaii or a cruise ship. Pat and Debbie both retired from audiology in 2014. That fall, Palm Springs became their winter destination of choice after attending a conference there the year before. They fell in love with Palm Springs and were able to visit four times, driving each time.
Pat spent 30 years working in audiology with his wife Debbie at Beltone Hearing Clinic. Pat truly loved his work. He was always caring and empathic to the hard of hearing he helped every day. He understood how difficult and isolating living with hearing loss can be and always reached out to help.
One Christmas Eve, he went to a client's home to repair a hearing aid so they were able hear their family on Christmas day. He was very compassionate and caring, always trying to help family, friends, and the hard of hearing community.
Paddy will be sadly missed by the love of his life and best friend Debbie, and son Patrick. He will always be missed by his beloved sister Maureen, his forever friend and brother-in-law Dave Choukalos and their sons Patrick (Jenna), Donald (Lisa) and their children.
Pat is also survived by brothers Terry (Verna) and their children of Tucson Arizona, and Donny of Penticton. Pat always had a special friendship with Debbie's parents, George and Claire Poitras.
George (who also worked in audiology) was responsible for encouraging Pat to enter the profession. The two shared a lifelong love of providing care to the hard of hearing.
Pat was predeceased by his parents Patrick D. Mulligan and Helen (Kerbes), both of Penticton.
Pat's family would like to thank all the staff at the Penticton Hospital (while Pat waited for long term care) and Trinity Care Centre, for the outstanding and compassionate care Pat received over the past year.
We are so fortunate in Penticton to be blessed with the staff we have at both the hospital and Trinity. These special people help our loved ones live and die with dignity. They are very special people, doing a very difficult job.
A special thank you to Pat's family doctor, Dr. Ron Gans, for taking such good care of Pat for the past ten years during his long battle with Parkinson's and then Alzheimer's. Thank you for always taking extra time just talking and reassuring me. It made a difficult journey so much easier. You are the best.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Pat's memory to: "The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research" at www.michaeljfox.org
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 29th at 11:00 a.m. at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 361 Wade Ave. West. Penticton, with a reception to follow in the church hall.