Joan Tyne Mullen

Joan Tyne Mullen died February 8, 2008, at her home in Ringoes. She was 79 years young.

Born Joan Tyne in Troy, NY in June 1929, she was the elder of two daughters of Gerald and Gertrude Tyne.

She was raised in New York City, and her family moved to rural Berkeley Heights, New Jersey after the war. A gifted academic, she graduated Hunter College in NYC at the age of 19, and began working in photomicrography during the early 1950s for Memorial Sloan Kettering and Merck. In 1952 she met and later married her husband Thomas, with whom she subsequently had a family of 8 children, one of whom died in infancy.

Through the 1960s and 1970s, she worked tirelessly to raise her family through easy times and hard, never flagging in her commitment to the people in her life. As the Dame of Mullen Crest Farm in Oldwick, NJ, she directed and guided the individual efforts of her children, including their various 4H animal projects, which included over 500 documented horses, ponies, turtles, chickens, goats, sheep, dogs, cows, steers, asses, toads, frogs, fish, snakes, as well as many unnamed transients. Astronomy, hot air ballooning and sports also enjoyed her encouraging words and efforts. Her satisfactions included the college and professional lives of her children, her meticulously nurtured garden, photography, travel, her friends and acquaintances, antiques, jewelry, and encouraging others to excellence in their lives.

In later years, she teamed with her sister Geraldine to start and direct a company, CastleTyne Antiques, known throughout antiquarian and collector circles, as well as on Ebay. She maintained a wide circle of correspondence. Through the Internet, her influence in the lives of those around her never flagged. She was a great storyteller, a devoted spouse, a loving mother, and a stellar wit that did the New York Times Crossword every day in ink. In recent years she and her husband marked their fiftieth wedding anniversary and relocated back to Flemington from Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Her final days were spent at home, surrounded by those who cherished her. Her room was constantly filled with stories and laughter, quiet reflective moments, handmade cards and occasional cello music. Her daunting but dependable swear eyes were with us to the end as her sense of humor and joy conquered the earthly limitations placed upon her.

At the end, life and love are what survives. For Joan, this means her loving husband of more than 50 years, Thomas, as well as her seven living children (Thomas, June, Eileen, Sean, Maureen, Kevin, and James), her nine grandchildren, and some sterling in-laws. Her sister Geraldine lives in Barrington Hills, Illinois with her husband Jim Kempe. She is additionally survived by nieces and nephews, whose prayerful efforts aided in her battle with pancreatic cancer, especially Matthew who though far away prayed for her daily.

Our lives are immeasurably richer thanks to the Inner Light and guiding principles of this Renaissance woman that will continue to shine in our hearts, our minds, our souls and our actions as we move beyond the despair of her loss and reflect upon the joys of her life with us.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in Our Lady of Victories Church, Route 519, Baptistown, NJ under the direction of the Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington, NJ. Interment will be private. Calling hours will be Monday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. in the Funeral Home. Please visit www.holcombefisher.com for further information or to send condolences.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Columbia University Medical Center, Development Office, In Memory of Joan Mullen, 100 Haven Avenue, Suite 29 D, New York, NY 10032.