Obituary of R. Edward Mulford

GREEN VALLEY, AZ The family of R Edward Mulford, 79, of Duxbury and Green Valley, Arizona announce with sadness his sudden death on May 2, 2024. Ed lived, and lived well, with Parkinson’s Disease for 10 years. He died after a fall in his Green Valley home. Born on Sept. 10, 1944 in Rockford, Illinois to Theodora and Robert Mulford, Ed earned a BA in history at the University of Arizona in 1966. The Vietnam war was heating up and the call for men was high. Ed was 1A his entire senior year. Rather than wait to be drafted, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and was sent to Syracuse University Russian language school, and then to security school at Lackland Air Base in Texas. Eventually he was posted to RAF Chicksands in the United Kingdom, 40 miles north of London as a Russian analyst. Ed was a sportsman. He was an All Amercan swimmer at the University of Arizona, a good water skier, an expert downhill skier, and an excellent skeet shot as his many shooting friends can attest. Over the years, he taught numerous young people how to shoot, most notably his son Nicholas and his daughter Leslie, both of whom are excellent shots. While in England with the Air Force, Ed followed a lifelong interest in fast cars and began racing after attending driver’s school at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix. The school put him in a Formula Ford and onto the track, and Fast Eddie was born. Upon returning to the United States after his tour of duty was up, he continued to race Formula Supervees throughout the eastern and southeastern United States, and Canada for many years while owning and operating a string of NAPA Auto Parts stores in Central New York. In later years, he was an automotive paint specialist for Martin Senour, the automotive paint division of Sherwin Williams. Ed is survived by his wife, Philippa. They were married for 46 years and were devoted to one another. He is also survived by his beloved children, Nicholas (Patricia O’Neill) of San Francisco, and Leslie Mulford Menegaz of Haverhill, (children of Ed Mulford and Cynthia Morgan); his grandson, Diego Menegaz of Bozeman, Montana; his adored older brother, David C Mulford (Jeannie) of Paradise Valley, Arizona; his stepsister, Denise Countryman Oliver of Rockford, Illinois, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, William Mulford, and stepfather, Dr. H.D. Countryman. Services will be private in Willowbrook Cemetery, 395 Main Street, Westport, CT. Memorial contributions may be made to Parkinson’s Wellness Recovery, 4343 N Oracle Road, Unit 173, Tucson, AZ 85705.