Lorraine Mulholland's Obituary
Lorraine Caroline (Jacobs) Mulholland Our beloved Mother passed away peacefully, Sunday morning, June 28th. She lived a long and fruitful life divided in several chapters with her absolute highlights being the birth of (and survived by) all of her children, Daniel Mulholland (Janet), Denette Colbo, Lynette Iverson, Lance Mulholland (Lorna), and Dale Mulholland (Ariyani) who collectively have produced 13 grandchildren (so far) and 14 great-grandchildren (so far). She loved and cared for her family above all else. Nothing was more important to her. And that is what she would want to be remembered for above all else. She was the backbone of this family. And she singlehandedly held it together. Our mother was preceded in death by our Dad, her husband of 60 years C. Dan Mulholland, also of Tacoma. Having graduated from St. Aquinas High School in 1946, Lorraine attended Seattle University in '46-47, married in '47 to Dan and resided in Manitou, South Tacoma for 70 years. Having worked all kinds of jobs including curb-girl at Larry's Drive-in and the Mt. Tahoma Drive-in, Anesthesiologist Technical Assistant at Tacoma General, she ultimately found her way back to University proudly graduating with honors along side her eldest son, Danny, in 1976 with a Masters Degree and double major and in Sociology and Social Work from Pacific Lutheran University but continued to work towards her PhD for the remainder of her life. She then took her chosen career job at Western State Hospital where she worked for 30 years as an Institutional Counselor having won Employee of the Month several times throughout. She touched many lives of the less fortunate who suffered from mental issues and always had one goal in mind - to make their lives better for a moment, for a day. Over the years, besides serving as our Cub Scout Den Mother, PTA & Class Party Planner, Soccer Mom, the best Grandma ever and quite a few other roles, many people will remember Lorraine from the 1960's as Tacoma's celebrity Go-Go Dancer Lolita, the star at the world famous Bob's Java Jive. She ushered in the Go-Go Dancing craze with her best friend Dolores Hamilton who was known as Dolly. The names Lolita & Dolly stayed up on the Java Jive Billboard for over a decade as a tribute to those energetic 1960's even after the Go-Go craze ended and America moved on. The act was so popular that there were nights when the line to get into the show was a block long and an hour's wait. And she would even be invited to appear on radio talk shows and television appearances as the most popular attraction in the city. She always said the she couldn't believe that they paid her to Go-Go Dance. Oh, she loved to dance. She heard a beat, she was dancing anywhere, anytime. She loved being alive. After dancing, traveling the world was her favorite hobby. She truly expanded her horizons by visiting over 20 countries including her favorites China, the U.S.S.R., Germany, Czechoslovakia, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and many others in the second half of her life, she also took cruises and conquered nearly the entire USA in travelogue as she called it. She was the prettiest Mom in Manitou and just as kind and giving. Although profoundly missed, she lives forever in our blood and our children's blood and them after. Rest in Peace Mama, you will always be in our hearts and we will forever be in your debt. We all love you so much. A viewing is available at Mountain View Cemetery in Lakewood on Wednesday, July 8th 11:00-19:00 PM. And an open-air funeral gathering will be held at the mausoleum at 14:30 PM Thursday, July 9th for friends and family.
What’s your fondest memory of Lorraine?
What’s a lesson you learned from Lorraine?
Share a story where Lorraine's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Lorraine you’ll never forget.
How did Lorraine make you smile?
