ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Stephen R. Mulhern died peacefully in Albuquerque, N.M. Oct. 5, 2020 in the company of his loving wife Kathy after a long bout with cancer. Steve was born on July 15, 1949 in Portland, the son of Raymond and Harriet Mulhern.

Steve was a 1967 graduate of Westbrook High School and a 1971 graduate of University of Maine at Portland. After graduation, he began a career in banking, working for Casco Bank in Portland for a number of years.

Steve moved to Albuquerque in 1985 where he met Kathy to whom he was married for 29 years. Initially working in banking, Steve later moved into the medical field as an assistant vice president at a medical laboratory and also as a medical practice manager.

Outdoor sports were a constant in Steve’s life. While still in college, he began hiking with his younger brother, Rick, completing the 48 New Hampshire 4,000 foot peaks over the next few years. Steve was also an active member of the Maine running community in the late ’70s and early ’80s, running numerous road races, including many marathons (running NYC and Boston twice with Rick), with an eventual marathon personal best of 2:37. On his 30th birthday in 1979, Steve ran the Paul Bunyan Marathon in Bangor, adding on an additional four miles afterward to match his birthday.

After Steve moved to Albuquerque, he and his brother remained connected through annual hiking trips, including many ascents of Wheeler Peak, the highest in New Mexico at 13,159 feet. A great memory was from 2006 when Steve and Rick completed a one day Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim, hiking from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to the North Rim and back, covering 41 miles in 15 hours.

Along with Kathy, Steve was a great lover of dogs, adopting eight rescue dogs over the years in Albuquerque, with their dogs Miley, Amos and Annie surviving him. In his retirement, Steve volunteered as an ambassador at the Albuquerque Airport, helping people navigate the facility. He had both Miley and Annie certified as service dogs so they could accompany him at the airport, much to the delight of passengers. After his cancer diagnosis, Steve also volunteered driving cancer patients to chemotherapy appointments.

Steve was also an active bicyclist and digital and film photographer, and continued those activities until a month before his passing. He posted photographs most days on social media and had many followers there.

Steve is survived by his loving wife Kathy Mulhern; her sister Penny and brother-in-law Dennis of San Jose, Calif; her niece Cindy and partner Elena; and great-nieces Chase and Christel of Mountain View, Calif.; his brother Rick Mulhern of Falmouth; and niece Julia Mulhern and her son Liam of Topsham.

A celebration of Steve’s life will be held later.

Recognizing his great love of dogs, memorial

contributions in his name may be made to

Animal Humane

New Mexico,

animalhumanenm.org.