Irwin Leon Mullennax

Leon Mullennax died with his four-daughters present at home at the age of 90 on April 15, 2025.

He will be remembered as a warm and kind man who had a deep spiritual faith in God, he loved spending time with his family, traveling in his Class A, leading prayer before meals and camping especially at Pipe Stem State Park in WV, Black Water Falls in WV, and Shenandoah National Park in VA. He especially loved grilling a good hot dog (or two) over an open fire and we loved hearing him tell his endless stories which wereentertaining even if it was the third or fourth time hearing one! Leon also loved fishing in the Chesapeake Bay and coming in and out of Jones Creek, he loved deer hunting in Bath County, Virginia (George Washington National Park) where he hunted for over 60 years with brother Gene, his nephews Regene and Mark, his sons-in-law Gary, Vince, and Randy, his grandson Evan, and with many friends over the years. In his later years,when he couldn’t get around as much and couldn’t drive any longer (at 86), he loved watching cable news and Westerns on the Grit Channel especially “Gun Smoke”. He also loved watching the Orioles and Raven games and stayed up to date on their player rosters and players stats. He always reminded us that he played baseball for the American Legion Post 38 and competed against Al Kaline and that he once hit a ball over the railroad tracks for a home run against Kaline. But out of all the things he loved, he loved spending time with his wife ShirleyMullennax the most!

Irwin Leon Mullennax was born on January 3, 1935, on a tabletop by a mid-wife in Clarksburg, WV and he was the second of four children to Albert and Sarah Agnes Mullennax.

Irwin Leon Mullennax married Shirley in Baltimore, MD on May 29, 1957, and those two spent most of their time togetherby each other’s side and were married for 62 years. They livedin Dundalk since 1958 where Leon and Shirley raised their four daughters Linda, Mary, Diane, and Nancy on Kavanagh Road. Leon worked 40 plus years and retired from the A & P Tea Company (Super Fresh) as a nighttime store manager throughoutthe Greater Baltimore Area. Both Leon and Shirley continued to devote their time to their Chistian faith and the Dundalk Free Methodist Church where they developed lifelong relationshipswith many families but especially with the Magee’s- Bob and Carolyn.

Above all, he treasured his time spent with his wife Shirley, his time devoted to his four daughters and sons-in-law in which they gave him and Shirley ten grandchildren, fifteen great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Both Leon and Shirley took pride in their grandchildren and great grandchildren’s accomplishments, and he loved videoing eachone of them. There were christenings, birthdays, holidays, recitals, weddings, sporting events, plays, graduations from elementary, middle and high schools and colleges. But the holiday most cherished by Leon was Christmas and for those family members who got to be part of a Mullennax Christmas know how special that day was and it carried on from KavanaghRoad over to Gross Avenue to Uncle Gene and Aunt Frans house where almost the entire Mullennax family got together. There was so much love and joy in those houses and the memories will last everyone forever!

Leon was always known as “Da Da” and many people beyond his family would call him “Da Da”.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years Shirley who passed in May of 2019, his two brothers Lyle Duane and his wife Juanita and Regene and his wife Frances, and his brother-in-law Johnny Peyton.

Leon “Da Da” is survived by his sister Ilawyn and her husband Vicent, his sister-in-law Nancy, his brothers-in-law wife Janie; his daughter Linda, his daughter Mary and her husband Vince Pearman, his daughter Diane and her husband Gary Berkey, hisdaughter Nancy and her husband Randy Mohr; his 10 grandchildren—Kristina and her husband Micah Maxwell, Steven, Amanda and her husband David McGhee, Sarah and her husband Cody Manley, Alyssa and her husband Jack Spore, Kayla and her partner Zack Felmeister, Andrew, Ashley, Evan and his partner Jordan Goedeke, and Madison and her partner Noah Baker; his 15 great- grandchildren—Bella, Brayden, Jeremiah, Joel, Sebastian, Joshua, Phoenix, Sophia, Griffin, Caroline, Lucca, Kasey, Talon, Kaia, and Isaac and his many nieces and nephews; and his dear friends Robert and Carolyn Magee.

Viewings will be held at Bruzdzinski Funeral Home P.A. at 1407 Old Eastern Avenue, Essex, MD (at route 702, beltway exit 36) on Tuesday April 22 from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm. Funeral services will be conducted in the same location by Pastor Ryan (of Community Christian Church) on Wednesday April 23 at 10 am, with interment to follow at Oak Lawn Cemetery at 7225 Eastern Ave., Baltimore 21224.