Dr. Peter Wayne Mullen
1944-2021
With love and sadness, we announce the passing of Peter Wayne
Mullen, PhD, FCSFS, 76 years, on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Born in
Liverpool NS on May 10, 1944, he was the son of the late Carl and
Agnes (Payson) Mullen. He spent his youth outside Yarmouth in Arcadia,
getting into mischief and helping at his father’s car
dealership. He took degrees at Acadia University in 1966 and
1967 and embarked on a short teaching career at Prince Andrew High
School, Dartmouth. In 1970, he moved to the United Kingdom to take a
master’s in forensic science at Glasgow’s
Strathclyde University, followed by a PhD in Pharmacology from the
University of Manchester, with post-doctoral study at the University
of Edinburgh. Peter, a true academic, quickly gained tenure at the
University of Manchester medical school but always felt Nova Scotia
calling him home. In the spring of 1980, he moved to Kentville to
start KEMIC Bioresearch, determined to prove that a bioresearch
company could succeed in rural Nova Scotia. He was a fellow of the
Canadian Society of Forensic Science, edited numerous scientific
journals and served on many boards and organizations. Peter had a
passion for teaching, both in the classroom – at Acadia and
Dalhousie – and at his dining room table drawing graphs in
the hope that we might grasp some complex pharmacokinetic concept. He
loved his work, spending hours at the lab and the company’s
“world headquarters” (his famous attic office) or
sitting at his sons’ hockey games with a stack of scientific
papers. A gentleman of the old school, civility and manners mattered
greatly to him. He loved his family, spoke of his aunts and uncles
with reverence, and ensured that his children gathered for regular
Sunday dinners (but only after his exercises were complete). Keeping
“crazy hours,” he regularly went to bed just as his
beloved “Susie” was rising and always left her a
note in the kitchen. Quirky and passionate, he was a lifelong learner,
and we will miss his obsessions with everything from the American
Civil War to Flying Squirrels. Grampie (“Ogie” to
Aisha) had a unique style with his grandchildren, loved to sing to
them and would listen patiently to the many details of their young
lives. He is survived by his devoted wife of 42 years, Susan
(Goodall); his children, Michelle (Colin) Sharpe, Victoria, BC; Kerry
(Peter) Mullen-Ludlow, Kentville; Sean (Lisa), Kentville and Scott
(Elina), Ottawa; grandchildren, Aisha (Mitch), Victoria B.C; Payson,
Rory, and Emilia of Kentville; brother, Vaughn (Jane), Liverpool; and
nieces and nephews Gavin, Halifax; Ryan (Holly) Liverpool;
Zoë (Andrew) Winsor, Liverpool; as well as his Aunt Jean
(Payson) Drew of Ottawa, his many beloved cousins and his extended UK
family. Cremation has taken place and a funeral service will be held
at a later date to be announced. Donations can be made to a charity of
your choice, including cancer research and the local Salvation Army.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the White Family Funeral
Home and Cremation Services, Kentville.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Dr Peter Wayne Mullen 19442021..
Death notice for the town of: Kentville, Province: Nova Scotia