Anna Holcomb Mulkey

Anna Holcomb York Mulkey was born on August 6, 1925 in New Haven Connecticut. Her life took a brief star turn at 14 when her family moved to the Virgin Islands for a year and she was featured in a National Geographic issue holding 2 starfish. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1947 with a degree in Zoology and then worked a year at Seventeen magazine. She married Reed Mulkey of Roswell, New Mexico in 1949 after he graduated from the Naval Academy. He transferred to the Air Force and served as a pilot.

Anna and Reed brought 5 children into the world. Anna had a great sense of adventure and looked forward to exploring each new place as the family hopscotched around the continental US in support of Reed's career. The Mulkeys brought a spirit of fun to wherever they were newly stationed and made friends easily. She was a capable and cheerful single parent each time Reed was assigned to TDY (stationed away from the family for months at a time) and always kept a warm "welcome home" for our beloved 'Poppa Bear'.

In 1965 the family moved to Bermuda where Reed served as commander of the 55th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron and Anna served as president of the Officers' Wives Club and taught sailing. In 1968, while her husband served a year in Vietnam, Anna worked in the Kindley Air Force Base school system. When the family moved to Virginia in 1969, she earned her Master's Degree in teaching and taught seventh grade in Newport News, Virginia. She moved again in 1972 to Taiwan with her family and taught art at the Missionary Baptist School in Taichung. One last move to Abilene, Texas in 1974 closed out this chapter of her life when her husband retired from the Air Force in 1975 and they began the 'empty nest' stage of their lives by moving to New Haven, Connecticut to take care of her aging father.

Finally in 1976, Anna and her husband moved one last time to Albuquerque, New Mexico. They threw themselves into volunteer work, Reed flying for the Civil Air Patrol and Anna volunteering at the Albuquerque BioPark. She served on the board of the New Mexico Zoological Society and was heavily involved in fundraising including organizing the annual "Saturday Night Wild" event, a fundraiser to help bring new animals to the zoo. Anna and Reed also drove the "Zoo to You" van for many years, bringing animals to the rural areas of New Mexico for children who couldn't get to the zoo.

Anna loved reptiles and there wasn't a snake or a frog that she didn't admire! She worked as a docent for 40 years, mainly teaching in the Reptile House and was honored by the BioPark for her long service. She was also active in the Daylily Society and the Albuquerque Garden Club and for many years she wrote the quarterly class notes for her class for the Mt Holyoke Alumnae Magazine.

The couple also continued to travel, this time as tourists. Surviving a plane crash in 1985 slowed them down only briefly and they eventually visited all 7 continents, Antarctica being the last. They wanted to see the penguins. They even flew on the Concorde one time as a treat!

After her husband died in 2008, Anna lived 18 more years, lovingly cared for by her family. She passed away in her home on January 25, 2026. She is predeceased by her mother, father, and sister. She is survived by her 5 children and their spouses, Karen Claiborne Mulkey Raff (Harold), Michael Blair Mulkey (Barbara), Kim Frances Mulkey Young (Bryan), Leslie Holcomb Reed Mulkey (Sharon O'Connor), and Katherine Ann Mulkey, 6 grandchildren and their spouses, Leo Ortiz, Zachary Ortiz (Rande), Sharon Mulkey Lisberg (Chris), Steven Mulkey (Liana Greenberg), Olivia Mulkey, Charli Mulkey and 7 great grandchildren, Leyla, Amelia, Apollo, Quinn, Grace, Teddy, and Reed. She was 100 years old.

Grave site services will be held at the Sante Fe National Cemetary (https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/santafe.asp) on March 26, 2026. Services will begin promptly at 1:00pm followed by a gathering in Sante Fe. Details provided at the service.