He would have been 94 years old today.
He passed in 2007, at the age of 88. For 85 of those 88 years, he led a life of hard work, devotion to my mother, to whom he was married for 62 years, and a love for his family that was simply remarkable. For the last 3 years of his life, he was gripped by the throes of dementia, his sharp mind and incredible memory diminshed.
Joseph F. Muldowney was Irish through and through. His parents lived in the small town Frackville, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the anthracite coal field that drew Irish immigrants to the region in search of work in the coal mines. He was raised by his grandmother in the even tinier village of Girardville, where he worked at an early age, and even did a little amateur boxing.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941, and was deployed to London, where he endured the German blitz of the city. Upon his return home, in 1945, he married my mother, and raised my brother and I. He worked with a company that serviced the coal industry, until his retirement, and then he managed a running specialty store I owned from 1985 to 1999.
My dad never made a lot of money, and we never had a lot of luxuries. We did, however, have an abundance of love and encouragement from a man who always put family first
Throughout my running career, my dad was by my side, either physically or in spirit. He would scout my opponents, offer his strategy tips for races, and embrace my running friends, my "Cast of Characters," as I refer to them in my book, as if they were members of his family. In fact, I dedicated my book, "Running Shorts," www.runningshortsbook.com, to him. I relate several amusing stories about him in the book.
He knew everyone from our region, and when I was elected mayor of my hometown of Pottsville in 1989, many felt it was HE who could have garnered many more votes than I. He could list members of most family trees, and no matter what your status in life was, he always treated you with dignity.
Finally, he was an avid sports fan, but his love of sports was elevated to a heightened level when his beloved Notre Dame took the field. We buried him in his Notre Dame jacket and hat. I can only imagine the joy in heaven as he awaits their appearance in the National Championship game in January.
I miss my dad every day, We had a lifetime of laughs, trials and tribulations together. Sometimes we argued or disagreed, but it never lasted. He was my greatest supporter, and my best friend
Happy birthday dad!
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