Delores F. Mulvihill

Delores Faye (Andeway) Mulvihill, 93, of Davenport, Iowa, passed away Monday, April 29, 2024, at Kahl Home in Davenport.

Delores was born in Delta, Iowa, on August 30, 1930, to Lester Henry Andeway and Olive Imogene (Allsup) Andeway. She attended school in Rose Hill, rural Mahaska County (one-room schoolhouses), and Oskaloosa, Iowa, graduating from Oskaloosa High School in 1947. She grew up on farms and in town, listening with her parents and grandma to radio adventure series like "Jack Armstrong: All American Boy" and "I Love a Mystery." During high school, she worked as an elevator operator and served malted milk at the drugstore soda fountain.

She married John Francis Mulvihill, son of John and Edna Mulvihill, on June 22, 1950, at St. Mary's Church, Oskaloosa, Iowa. They lived in Oskaloosa, Marshalltown, and Clinton while John worked as a brakeman/conductor for the M&StL and Chicago Northwestern Railroads and then, after his retirement, in Grinnell, Lake Ponderosa, and Williamsburg. With her husband frequently away for his job, she deftly managed a tight budget and household of six children over thirty years in a way that can only be marveled at. When it became possible to work outside the home, she became a school secretary, library assistant, field operation assistant for the U.S. Census Bureau for the 1980 Census, and a clerk in the 1983 Iowa Legislature. Her work for the Democratic Party at the county, district, and state levels was especially meaningful to her.
She had a curious nature and was a lifelong learner through college classes, elder hostels, and extensive reading on her own and in book clubs. She made good friends wherever she lived, especially through her work for the Democratic Party and in later life at the Highland Ridge Senior Living Community in Williamsburg.

In addition to the adventure of raising six children, Delores and John traveled to the Virgin Islands and Japan, as well as many places in the U.S. At the age of 88, in the company of daughter Kathleen, she visited daughter Teresa in New York City. She was said to be hard to keep up with in her eagerness to see the sights. She was a "get things done" person of endless energy and optimism, lighting others' lives with her bright smile. A practitioner of healthy living who also enjoyed chocolate and other sweets, she made a delicious chicken and (homemade) noodle soup as well as a mouthwatering flaky-crust apple pie. Care and concern for her family were always foremost in her thoughts and actions.

Her family is thankful for her long life: the six children, Virginia Mulvihill (Larry Rodl) of Davenport, Mary (Mike) Patterson of Cedar Rapids, John (Kathryn) Mulvihill IV of New Glarus, Wisconsin, Kathleen (Mark) Splittgerber of Des Moines, Teresa Mulvihill (Jim Barnes) of The Bronx, and Timothy Mulvihill of Fort Smith, Arkansas; eleven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Robert Andeway, sister Arlene Brunn, and her husband in 2013.

A funeral liturgy will be held at 2:00 on Sunday, May 5, at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 422 East 10th Street, Davenport, with visitation before and after.

Family and friends are invited to share memories and express condolences on her Memory Page at mvcremation.com