Resident of Orinda Charles D. Mullen was born on March 6, 1926, the son of Charles Fitzgerald Mullen and Nina Mullen in Oakland, California. He received a U.S. Navy Certificate of model aircraft builder in 1942 at the age of 15. Upon his graduation from Oakland High School in January, 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and attended basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago, Illinois, followed by further training at the Electronics School at Monterey, California. He was assigned to Landing Craft LCI(R)785. His Pacific duty took him through the South Pacific to Tokyo Bay in September, 1945, where he was present when the Japanese surrender was signed. He received his honorable discharge from the Navy on May 26, 1946.

He and his wife Edna Mullen moved to Acheson Village, Richmond, California and Charles enrolled under the G I bill as a student of architecture at the University of California at Berkeley, where he graduated in June, 1951 from the School of Architecture. Mr. Mullen worked at Kirby and Associates, architects, drawing schools and in 1953 was a team member for the development of Washington Township Hospital in Fremont. His first home was in Washington Manor in San Leandro where Charles and Edna's daughter Kathleen Lacy Mullen (now Ridgway) was born in 1954. He went to work for Mohr Brothers in Hayward, designed commercial buil-dings, apartment houses and custom homes. He was joined by Leslie A. Morris in 1956 and in 1959 they formed Charles Mullen Professional Designers, and associated with Robert Vandenbosch, Civil Engineer, designing apartments and medical buildings. In 1962 "Charlie" as his many friends called him, was elected President of the Northern California Chapter of the American Institute of Building Design. In 1968 he and Mr. Morris were joined by William B. Alexander, Jr. and in 1976 the firm of Mullen, Morris Alexander, Inc., Licensed Architects and Planners, now at 1600 B Street, Hayward, began. The firm designed convalescent hospitals, hospitals, medical building, nursing homes, retirement centers and residences from Eureka in the north to Rancho Bernardo in the south. Mr. Mullen and his partners, at the time of his death have continued to serve as officers of the General Partner of the La Posada Retirement Center in Santa Cruz, which they designed. Mullen Morris Alexander also designed the seven story, 245 unit Casa Sandoval retirement Center at 1200 Russell Way, Hayward. This structure is Mr. Mullen's significant contribution to the center core of the City of Hayward.

Charles D. Mullen will be laid to rest with his wife, Edna and other family members at Sunset View Cemetery on a hillside overlooking the San Francisco Bay. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.