​​Mulholland was born on 5 January 1915, in Grimsby, Ontario. In 1936, she received her nursing diploma and began her career at Peel Memorial Hospital. She delayed marriage to Robert ‘Kipper’ McKillip in 1941 to be eligible to serve overseas—married women were not allowed to do so at the time. Tragically, as she departed Halifax in 1942, she learned that Kipper’s plane had been shot down over the Mediterranean. His body was never recovered.

​Mulholland’s determination never wavered. She quickly distinguished herself during her medical training and took on the responsibility of supervising an operating room. On 19 June 1944, just days after D-Day, she and fellow nurse Winnifred ‘Pit’ Pitkethly became the first Canadian nurses to arrive on Juno Beach in Normandy, later joined by Edna ‘Millie’ Millman. Their field hospital faced relentless bombings, and the three women spent their first week working out of a cold trench, performing non-stop surgeries for 72 hours straight.

​Over eight intense months, Molly served across France, Belgium, and Holland. In January 1945, her bravery and skill were recognised when King George VI awarded her the Royal Red Cross Class 1. She continued her service at an RCAF burn unit in East Grinstead, England, before being honourably discharged in November 1945.

​Despite her quiet return to civilian life, Molly carried deep emotional scars. Suffering from what would now be called PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), she left the operating room and found a new path as a public health nurse at Georgetown High School, where she worked until her retirement in 1980.

​Mulholland never married, choosing a life of service. She passed away on 10 November 1985, just one day before Remembrance Day.​