July 29, 1925 – November 22, 2020
He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, at his home in Sugar Hill, NH, on November 22, 2020. Alden was born on July 29, 1925, in Woburn, MA, son of George and Mary Ann (Porter). When he was just six years old, his mother passed away, so he was raised by his older sister, Dorothy, to whom he was forever grateful for her steadfast love, faith, discipline, and the direction she gave to his life. This would be an attitude that would endure, to look at life through a lens of thankfulness and optimism.
Upon graduation from Woburn High School in 1943, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in the midst of World War II, where he trained as a radio operator and waist gunner on a B17 Bomber. He served as a Flight Radio Operator in an Air-Sea Rescue Squadron.
Upon his honorable discharge, Alden enrolled at Northeastern University, where he was a member of The Marketing Club, The Ski Club, and The Gamma Phi Kappa Fraternity. During these college years, in the era of wooden skis and beartrap bindings, he developed his lifelong love of downhill skiing, a sport he enjoyed in his 80s. He was a founding member of The Boggestow Ski Club, and over the years, enjoyed many ski jaunts with family and friends.
He began his career in Marketing & Advertising in New York City, where he met his bride to be Phyllis (Ingalls) when they both had apartments in a brownstone building on Manhattan’s West Side. They married in 1955, and Alden’s work took them to Springfield, MA, St. Louis, MO, Providence, RI, and then finally to Reading, MA (where they raised their 3 children) for a job with GTE Sylvania, where he worked for 22 years and retired as the National Marketing Manager in the Commercial Lighting division.
Alden enjoyed skiing, golf, tennis, gardening, and the natural world. He grew up in the era of the Big Bands and loved music and dancing. A lifelong Episcopalian, he served his church in various capacities: Vestry, Committees Member, Sunday School Teacher, and singing bass in the choir for over 40 years. He was an active volunteer, and upon his retirement, he delivered Meals on Wheels and was a docent at The Stoneham Zoo and The Museum of Science. After living in Reading for 36 years, he and Phyllis moved to Sugar Hill, NH, where he was a volunteer at The Littleton Regional Hospital, and served as a board member for The Bancroft House, and was a committee member for Saint Matthew’s Chapel. Alden was a devout member of All Saints Episcopal Church, where he treasured his many years of worship and fellowship with his fellow parishioners.
Papa, as his grandchildren called him, had an amazing memory, and some of that can be attributed to his keen interest in the people he met; he was deeply interested in knowing about people’s lives. He could quote poetry spontaneously that would aptly capture what we felt as we lived through life’s moments. He was a gifted storyteller, and his family will always cherish the many anecdotes he shared. Over the years, he was the connection that kept the generations together.
After losing his beloved wife and eldest daughter within a few months of each other, his steadfast faith and appreciation of the love and joy that they brought to our lives was an inspiration to the rest of us that were also struggling with grief.
His family was foremost in his life, and he is survived by his son, Matthew, daughter Katherine, son-in-laws Joseph McGillicuddy and Moe Mulkigian, granddaughters Jillian and her husband Jon Sartorelli, Molly Bromley, and grandson Michal McGillicuddy, stepgrandchildren Lauren, Kate and Ben Mulkigian and great-grandchildren L`aura Mae Sartorelli and William Fisher Sartorelli, as well as many dearly, loved nieces, nephews, and friends. He was predeceased by his wife, Phyllis, of sixty-two years, and his daughter Laura Mulkigian. A large, close knit family was also predeceased by his sisters, Dorothy, Marian, Barbara, and brothers, George, James, Thomas, Clarence, Harold, and Walter.
Visiting Hours: The family intends to hold a Memorial Service in the spring. In lieu of flowers, if you wish, donations can be made in his memory to All Saints Episcopal Church, 35 School Street, Littleton, NH 03561 or The Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasury, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203
