Mullaney, Richard F. "Dick"

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Richard F. "Dick" Mullaney passed away peacefully on February 17, 2021, at Saratoga Hospital, surrounded by his family.

Dick was born in Troy in October of 1932, the eldest son of the late Richard F. and Helena (Tacelli) Mullaney. He grew up in a small house with his six brothers and sisters on 3rd Avenue in Watervliet, north of the Arsenal. Dick loved everything about the Watervliet of those days with its ethnic neighborhoods and, of course, Brotherhood Park.

After graduation from Watervliet High in 1950, Dick enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Germany. While in Germany his love for reading and education blossomed. Upon his return, he graduated from Siena College and then Albany Law School, where he was a member of the Law Review, before being hired by the Leary and Fullerton law firm in Saratoga Springs in 1959.

For nearly 60 years, Dick was a fixture in the Saratoga Springs community. He built a thriving law practice, counseling leaders in business, education, and government. Dick served as acting city judge and city attorney, advising mayors across the political spectrum, and he was instrumental in the building of the City Center. He was proud to have his He was proud to have his daughter Eleanor join the firm in 1983.

Dick was a regular on Broadway and would take a walk each day, visiting clients and friends, stopping by his favorite haunts (Mother Goldsmith’s, Lou’s / Compton’s, Mrs. London’s, Sperry’s, Lyrical Ballad, the Northshire Bookstore and all the rest). He was a part of the fabric of Saratoga Springs and spent much of his life dedicated to the betterment of his community. His impact on the City outlives him.

Dick pursued his recreational activities with the same fervor with which he went about his professional life. He was an avid golfer and cyclist, but his true love was the Adirondacks. In his later years, Dick spent most mornings in his office overlooking Broadway, and the afternoons at his beautiful home on Friends Lake, kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, or reading James Joyce on the deck. When he wasn’t pulling his grandchildren on the water ski boat, he was regaling them with stories of the Yankees, Shakespeare, or the haunted house on Fifth Avenue. Dick was a man of many interests, and anyone who was lucky enough to spend time with him walked away from their conversations having learned something new.

Dick is survived by his wife, Mary Lou; his siblings, Patricia Maron, Carol Ashline, John Mullaney, and Linda Mullaney; his longtime companion Joanne Carlow; his three children, Richard Mullaney (wife Marian), Eleanor Mullaney (husband Robert Coughlin) and Agnes Mullaney (husband Jeffrey Paisner); his six grandchildren, Robert Coughlin, Kathryn Maggiotto, Richard Mullaney, Colleen Mullaney, John Mullaney and Mikaela Straus; two greatgrandchildren, Jane Coughlin and Molly Maggiotto with a third great-grandchild on the way, and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Dick was predeceased by two siblings, Phyllis Ackerman and Eugene Mullaney.

Dick’s family would like to express its gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff of Saratoga Hospital who provided wonderful care and compassion during his final days.

Due to the current environment, services will be private, but the family hopes that anyone touched by Dick’s remarkable life will join them in a celebration this summer, COVID-19 permitting. Burial with military honors will take place in the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, 200 Duell Road, Schuylerville.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations