It wasn't your typical love story. But then again, Richard "Dick" Mullen wasn't your average guy.
On sabbatical from an extended mission trip to Central America in 1973, Mullen, a Catholic priest, met the woman who would become his wife while staying with a friend in Carrolton, Ga. He wed 27-year-old Frances Shuba three months later in a ceremony at a Lutheran Church.
They enjoyed a 38-year marriage until Mr. Mullen died Saturday from an extended illness that included complications of kidney failure, heart and lung disease at Gwinnett Medical Center. He was 71.
Mr. Mullen was cremated and his family is planning a private memorial service for a later date. Condolences may be sent to Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, Snellville Chapel, at www.wagesfuneralhome.com.
Mr. Mullen was the second of two sons born to an Irish Catholic family in Boston, Mass., in 1939. At age 12, he began preparing for the priesthood. He obtained a degree in classical languages and a masters degree in theology while studying at Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, Pa., Fordham University and in St. John's University in New York.
After he was ordained, Mr. Mullen sought a change from what had been 13 years of intense schooling. He applied for a charity work assignment abroad and went to Panama and Costa Rica.
During his three years of overseas ministry, Mr. Mullen rode horseback over rugged mountain ranges to reach isolated villagers in the rainforest jungle. He brought medical supplies and food to the local inhabitants and said Mass for them.
But he soon realized that the priesthood was a lonely life. Again, he sought a change in direction and returned home to contemplate his next move. That's when he met Frances. The pair felt an instant spark.
"I was bowled over by his background and his education and he was just a very kind, warm person," Frances Mullen recalled.
The couple adopted and raised two sons, Mark, 24, and John, 31.
Mr. Mullen had taken a vow of poverty and all his worldly possessions fit in a single cardboard box when he was a priest.
"And I threw most of it away, because it wasn't worth keeping," Mrs. Mullen laughed.
After he wed, though, Mr. Mullen supported his new family with an assortment of jobs including polygraph examiner, teacher and truck driver before he settled into a 30-year career with US Foods, said his son John Mullen.
As a sales representative marketing products to area restaurants, he often worked 80-hour weeks. He was a quick-witted, outgoing man who quickly befriended clients.
"Sometimes he would have Korean clients, and he'd learn how to greet them and say hello and goodbye and a few phrases," said his son, Mark Mullen. "The same with Chinese restaurants, any type of restaurant you can think of."
Although the Catholic Church initially did not recognize Mr. Mullen's marriage, he obtained permission to be laicized in 1974 by Pope Paul VI. He and Frances had a second wedding ceremony in the Catholic Church, and he remained devoted to the faith the rest of his life.
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