Stephen Mulherin

Stephen Mulherin passed away on March 12, 2025, in Whittier, California at the young age of 63. He was born on February 28, 1962, in Somers Point, New Jersey. From there Steve’s family moved to Baltimore, MD then Syracuse, NY.

Steve graduated from Washingtonville High School in New York and earned an accounting degree from SUNY Buffalo. After learning that being a CPA was not his passion, he left to earn his master’s at University of Maryland in College Park and his PhD from Ohio State University in Columbus, both degrees in Geography. Steve felt fortunate to have found close friends at each of these schools and was proud of the lifelong bonds they maintained.

Steve started his teaching career at California State University Los Angeles in 1999 after a memorable cross-country road trip. He met and married a Whittier local, had a son who became his travel buddy, and they hit the road as often as possible. In the fall of 2023, Steve stepped down as department chair to begin early retirement to travel, take photographs, go to the beach, and spend time with friends. He was proud of his backyard citrus trees and enjoyed sharing his harvest with family and friends in the almost-official Mulherin Citrus Club. He visited 49 states and was saving North Dakota for one day soon.

Steve’s greatest joy in life was being a father. He chaperoned all his son’s elementary school field trips, took him to swim lessons, and taught him how to boogie board. They visited over a dozen national parks and half the US states, sharing an appreciation for the outdoors and a passion for conserving the environment.

Steve is survived by his wife of 22 years, Rhonda (Moller) Mulherin and their son, Aidan Mulherin, his younger sister, Tracey Mulherin, and beloved friends the Don & Barbara Young family, Iris Morales, Gary Stern, Frank Lindsay, Lis Pinsker, Bob Bolander, Joel Shelton, and David Wasserman.

There will be a service at White Emerson Mortuary in Whittier starting at 11:00am with a reception to follow immediately.