Sebert Tyler Looney

LOONEY, Sebert Tyler passed away on Wednesday, February 11, 2009, to be with the Lord. He was born in Newcastle, Va. to Roscoe and Murphy Looney, who predeceased him. He helped his father fight forest fires before joining the Armed Forces during World War II, Army Air Corp, 5th Division Bomber Squadron. He was decorated with the Victory Medal, Occupational Medal of Japan, Purple Heart, and Bronze Star. He played for the New York Yankees before graduating from Georgia Tech and MIT as a civil engineer. He was an expert court witness in accidents and structural failures. He traveled the world working as an environmentalist and as a consultant in structures, highway, and bridge work for more than 45 years. He had several notable investigations including the failure of the cooling towers in West Virginia, which the federal government came to the same conclusion as he did. Along with life partner Ruby, they were trailblazers in setting up the first hunting-fishing exhibitions in the Mid-Atlantic region in the early 80s called: The Mid-Atlantic Adventures in the Great Outdoors. As one of the founders and lifetime members of the Wild Sheep Foundation, he was one of the first group to bring wild sheep back to the Rockies. He was a 32nd degree Mason of Midlothian Lodge and a Shriner in ACCA Temple of Richmond. He is survived by his son, Sebert Watson Looney and his wife, Bonnie; daughters, Carolyn Thurston and Lynn Larnerd; grandson, Christopher Larnerd; brother, Fred Looney; and sisters, Jane Barnes and Barbara Reynolds. He also leaves many friends who shared his interests in hunting, fishing, and good conversation. Inurnment at Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Va. on Friday, February 20, 2009, at 10 a.m. Arrangements by Bliley's-Chippenham, Richmond, Va.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.