With her winning personality and ability to remember 10 dinner orders without writing them down, Emily Mullen became a legend at Boston's historic Union Oyster House during her more than 40 years as waitress, dining room supervisor, and hostess.
The petite, strawberry blonde in her white uniform and brown apron made legions of friends among regulars, and engaged the celebrities who frequented the landmark seafood restaurant.
"Emily was a good people person to both the customers and the people she worked with," Pattie Burke, the restaurant's dining room manager, said.
Mrs. Mullen, who was a hostess at Union Oyster House until five years ago, died Feb. 13 of a stroke at Mount Auburn Hospital. She was 97.
"Emily was 97 years young," said Jim Malinn, the restaurant's general manager. "She was a splendid example, for multiple generations who worked here, on how to live life. She was very focused on whatever she was doing and whoever she was with. She had the capacity to enjoy the moment and was a very warm thoughtful person."
Mrs. Mullen was born to Emile and Angela Podeiko in East Cambridge. "With the exception of a brief residency in North Cambridge as a child, Emily Mullen spent the entire 97 years of her life within a four-block radius in her East Cambridge neighborhood," her granddaughter Deborah A. Lancaster of West Bridgewater said in an e-mail.
Mrs. Mullen was 6 when her mother died, and she and her younger brother were raised by their father and an uncle who helped while their father worked to support them, Lancaster said.
In 1929, she married William J. Mullen, who worked on the assembly line of Ford Motor Co. in Somerville. Her husband had health problems, and Mrs. Mullen soon started working as a waitress to support the family, including her two daughters. Widowed at 49, she worked at Boston restaurants such as Child's, Pieroni's, and Ye Garden in the North Station before going to the Union Oyster House, Lancaster said.
"Mother worked very hard all her life, supporting us as children," said a daughter, Marilyn Nesbit of Ketchum, Idaho.
Mrs. Mullen began working as a waitress at Union Oyster House in the 1960s. She was promoted to supervisor of the dining room and remained in that position for about 20 years, officially retiring in the late 1990s. However, she returned to work part time as a hostess until five years ago.
"Mother was quite a lady," said another daughter, Dorothy V. Clark of Malden. "She appeared in many television ads for the Union Oyster House that were seen on the Travel Channel and would often be recognized by tourists who went there to dine."
Mrs. Mullen never got a driver's license. "In later years," Lancaster wrote, "the doctors always marveled at Emily's strong leg muscles, which she attributed to years of walking to catch the bus, waitressing, and climbing the stairs to her third-floor apartment for 50-plus years, until she was almost 90 years old."
Not having a car did not stop Mrs. Mullen from getting to bingo games. "She loved gambling," Lancaster said, and she was fond of taking the bus to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.
She also loved traveling. She took many tours to Europe and often went to New York to take in a Broadway show.
Mrs. Mullen never lost her love for gambling, a hobby she pursued as avidly as she did crocheting, Nesbit said. Two years ago, she said, she took her mother to Jackpot, Nev., to try her luck.
And she often had good luck, Marilyn Nesbit said. When she hit it big 18 years ago, she bought a mink coat. "Mother was still wearing the coat," she said, "and just had the lining replaced."
In addition to her two daughters, Mrs. Mullen leaves three grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Cambridge. Burial will be at Mount Auburn Cemetery.
The petite, strawberry blonde in her white uniform and brown apron made legions of friends among regulars, and engaged the celebrities who frequented the landmark seafood restaurant.
"Emily was a good people person to both the customers and the people she worked with," Pattie Burke, the restaurant's dining room manager, said.
Mrs. Mullen, who was a hostess at Union Oyster House until five years ago, died Feb. 13 of a stroke at Mount Auburn Hospital. She was 97.
"Emily was 97 years young," said Jim Malinn, the restaurant's general manager. "She was a splendid example, for multiple generations who worked here, on how to live life. She was very focused on whatever she was doing and whoever she was with. She had the capacity to enjoy the moment and was a very warm thoughtful person."
Mrs. Mullen was born to Emile and Angela Podeiko in East Cambridge. "With the exception of a brief residency in North Cambridge as a child, Emily Mullen spent the entire 97 years of her life within a four-block radius in her East Cambridge neighborhood," her granddaughter Deborah A. Lancaster of West Bridgewater said in an e-mail.
Mrs. Mullen was 6 when her mother died, and she and her younger brother were raised by their father and an uncle who helped while their father worked to support them, Lancaster said.
In 1929, she married William J. Mullen, who worked on the assembly line of Ford Motor Co. in Somerville. Her husband had health problems, and Mrs. Mullen soon started working as a waitress to support the family, including her two daughters. Widowed at 49, she worked at Boston restaurants such as Child's, Pieroni's, and Ye Garden in the North Station before going to the Union Oyster House, Lancaster said.
"Mother worked very hard all her life, supporting us as children," said a daughter, Marilyn Nesbit of Ketchum, Idaho.
Mrs. Mullen began working as a waitress at Union Oyster House in the 1960s. She was promoted to supervisor of the dining room and remained in that position for about 20 years, officially retiring in the late 1990s. However, she returned to work part time as a hostess until five years ago.
"Mother was quite a lady," said another daughter, Dorothy V. Clark of Malden. "She appeared in many television ads for the Union Oyster House that were seen on the Travel Channel and would often be recognized by tourists who went there to dine."
Mrs. Mullen never got a driver's license. "In later years," Lancaster wrote, "the doctors always marveled at Emily's strong leg muscles, which she attributed to years of walking to catch the bus, waitressing, and climbing the stairs to her third-floor apartment for 50-plus years, until she was almost 90 years old."
Not having a car did not stop Mrs. Mullen from getting to bingo games. "She loved gambling," Lancaster said, and she was fond of taking the bus to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.
She also loved traveling. She took many tours to Europe and often went to New York to take in a Broadway show.
Mrs. Mullen never lost her love for gambling, a hobby she pursued as avidly as she did crocheting, Nesbit said. Two years ago, she said, she took her mother to Jackpot, Nev., to try her luck.
And she often had good luck, Marilyn Nesbit said. When she hit it big 18 years ago, she bought a mink coat. "Mother was still wearing the coat," she said, "and just had the lining replaced."
In addition to her two daughters, Mrs. Mullen leaves three grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Cambridge. Burial will be at Mount Auburn Cemetery.
With her winning personality and ability to remember 10 dinner orders without writing them down, Emily Mullen became a legend at Boston's historic Union Oyster House during her more than 40 years as waitress, dining room supervisor, and hostess.
The petite, strawberry blonde in her white uniform and brown apron made legions of friends among regulars, and engaged the celebrities who frequented the landmark seafood restaurant.
"Emily was a good people person to both the customers and the people she worked with," Pattie Burke, the restaurant's dining room manager, said.
Mrs. Mullen, who was a hostess at Union Oyster House until five years ago, died Feb. 13 of a stroke at Mount Auburn Hospital. She was 97.
"Emily was 97 years young," said Jim Malinn, the restaurant's general manager. "She was a splendid example, for multiple generations who worked here, on how to live life. She was very focused on whatever she was doing and whoever she was with. She had the capacity to enjoy the moment and was a very warm thoughtful person."
Mrs. Mullen was born to Emile and Angela Podeiko in East Cambridge. "With the exception of a brief residency in North Cambridge as a child, Emily Mullen spent the entire 97 years of her life within a four-block radius in her East Cambridge neighborhood," her granddaughter Deborah A. Lancaster of West Bridgewater said in an e-mail.
Mrs. Mullen was 6 when her mother died, and she and her younger brother were raised by their father and an uncle who helped while their father worked to support them, Lancaster said.
In 1929, she married William J. Mullen, who worked on the assembly line of Ford Motor Co. in Somerville. Her husband had health problems, and Mrs. Mullen soon started working as a waitress to support the family, including her two daughters. Widowed at 49, she worked at Boston restaurants such as Child's, Pieroni's, and Ye Garden in the North Station before going to the Union Oyster House, Lancaster said.
"Mother worked very hard all her life, supporting us as children," said a daughter, Marilyn Nesbit of Ketchum, Idaho.
Mrs. Mullen began working as a waitress at Union Oyster House in the 1960s. She was promoted to supervisor of the dining room and remained in that position for about 20 years, officially retiring in the late 1990s. However, she returned to work part time as a hostess until five years ago.
"Mother was quite a lady," said another daughter, Dorothy V. Clark of Malden. "She appeared in many television ads for the Union Oyster House that were seen on the Travel Channel and would often be recognized by tourists who went there to dine."
Mrs. Mullen never got a driver's license. "In later years," Lancaster wrote, "the doctors always marveled at Emily's strong leg muscles, which she attributed to years of walking to catch the bus, waitressing, and climbing the stairs to her third-floor apartment for 50-plus years, until she was almost 90 years old."
Not having a car did not stop Mrs. Mullen from getting to bingo games. "She loved gambling," Lancaster said, and she was fond of taking the bus to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.
She also loved traveling. She took many tours to Europe and often went to New York to take in a Broadway show.
Mrs. Mullen never lost her love for gambling, a hobby she pursued as avidly as she did crocheting, Nesbit said. Two years ago, she said, she took her mother to Jackpot, Nev., to try her luck.
And she often had good luck, Marilyn Nesbit said. When she hit it big 18 years ago, she bought a mink coat. "Mother was still wearing the coat," she said, "and just had the lining replaced."
In addition to her two daughters, Mrs. Mullen leaves three grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Cambridge. Burial will be at Mount Auburn Cemetery.
The petite, strawberry blonde in her white uniform and brown apron made legions of friends among regulars, and engaged the celebrities who frequented the landmark seafood restaurant.
"Emily was a good people person to both the customers and the people she worked with," Pattie Burke, the restaurant's dining room manager, said.
Mrs. Mullen, who was a hostess at Union Oyster House until five years ago, died Feb. 13 of a stroke at Mount Auburn Hospital. She was 97.
"Emily was 97 years young," said Jim Malinn, the restaurant's general manager. "She was a splendid example, for multiple generations who worked here, on how to live life. She was very focused on whatever she was doing and whoever she was with. She had the capacity to enjoy the moment and was a very warm thoughtful person."
Mrs. Mullen was born to Emile and Angela Podeiko in East Cambridge. "With the exception of a brief residency in North Cambridge as a child, Emily Mullen spent the entire 97 years of her life within a four-block radius in her East Cambridge neighborhood," her granddaughter Deborah A. Lancaster of West Bridgewater said in an e-mail.
Mrs. Mullen was 6 when her mother died, and she and her younger brother were raised by their father and an uncle who helped while their father worked to support them, Lancaster said.
In 1929, she married William J. Mullen, who worked on the assembly line of Ford Motor Co. in Somerville. Her husband had health problems, and Mrs. Mullen soon started working as a waitress to support the family, including her two daughters. Widowed at 49, she worked at Boston restaurants such as Child's, Pieroni's, and Ye Garden in the North Station before going to the Union Oyster House, Lancaster said.
"Mother worked very hard all her life, supporting us as children," said a daughter, Marilyn Nesbit of Ketchum, Idaho.
Mrs. Mullen began working as a waitress at Union Oyster House in the 1960s. She was promoted to supervisor of the dining room and remained in that position for about 20 years, officially retiring in the late 1990s. However, she returned to work part time as a hostess until five years ago.
"Mother was quite a lady," said another daughter, Dorothy V. Clark of Malden. "She appeared in many television ads for the Union Oyster House that were seen on the Travel Channel and would often be recognized by tourists who went there to dine."
Mrs. Mullen never got a driver's license. "In later years," Lancaster wrote, "the doctors always marveled at Emily's strong leg muscles, which she attributed to years of walking to catch the bus, waitressing, and climbing the stairs to her third-floor apartment for 50-plus years, until she was almost 90 years old."
Not having a car did not stop Mrs. Mullen from getting to bingo games. "She loved gambling," Lancaster said, and she was fond of taking the bus to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.
She also loved traveling. She took many tours to Europe and often went to New York to take in a Broadway show.
Mrs. Mullen never lost her love for gambling, a hobby she pursued as avidly as she did crocheting, Nesbit said. Two years ago, she said, she took her mother to Jackpot, Nev., to try her luck.
And she often had good luck, Marilyn Nesbit said. When she hit it big 18 years ago, she bought a mink coat. "Mother was still wearing the coat," she said, "and just had the lining replaced."
In addition to her two daughters, Mrs. Mullen leaves three grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Cambridge. Burial will be at Mount Auburn Cemetery.
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