Friends and colleagues recall Bernie Mulligan as a caring person whose contributions will be missed. Mulligan, a carpenter in the UWindsor maintenance department, died October 1 at the age of 46.

Maintenance manager Rajeev Chawla recalled him as a team player.

“Bernie was always upbeat, always had a smile on his face,” Chawla said. “He had the unique ability to look at any job as a challenge to be completed. He is definitely going to be missed.”

James McGinlay, now manager of residence facilities, started his campus career alongside Mulligan in facility services.

“Bernie was great to be around, a really nice guy,” says McGinlay. “Anybody that was around, he touched them. I think we lost not only a great carpenter, but also a great person.”

In the spring, Mulligan’s co-workers solicited donations to help offset costs related to his treatment for cancer. It’s the sort of gesture Mulligan himself would have made, says organizer Linda Ruccolo.

“He was always willing to lend a helping hand,” she says. “He was very caring about everybody else, and so it was easy to want to give back to someone like that.”

Mulligan joined the University’s staff in 1999. Funeral services will be held Friday, October 5. Arrangements were not finalized as DailyNews went to publication; check the Families First Web site for details.