William N. Rooney

WRENTHAM — William N. Rooney, of Wrentham, where he has lived since 1963, died peacefully on Friday, November 21, 2008, at his home, comforted by his family. He was 79.

Born in Boston, he was the son of the late Robert G. and Marion (Briggs) Rooney, and was educated in Boston Schools.

Husband of 59 years to Joyce (Rogers) Rooney, he was the father of Bill Rooney and Sharyn Besse of Plymouth, Bob Rooney of Wrentham, Charles Rooney and Nancy Eilertsen of Mattapoisett, and Paul and Teresa Rooney of Sydney, Australia. Brother of Jim Rooney of Braintree, Jean Ridgley of Albuquerque, NM, and the late Robert Rooney and Norma Jensen. He is also survived by 6 grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

He had worked as an arborist for Lowden Tree, and his own company, Colonial Tree. He later worked for Raytheon as a draftsman and engineer, working on many radar and guidance systems, including satellites and the Apollo missions. He then worked at Accumeter in Westboro before finishing his career with Waters in Milford. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed shellfishing and beaching at his summer place in Wellfleet. He and Joyce traveled a good portion of the U.S. and Canada, as well as trips to Europe and Australia to see new grandchildren. He was a long time parishioner at St. Mary's Church in Wrentham, as well as belonging to their bowling league. He also served as a Fiske Public Library Trustee.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 9AM at St. Mary's Church, 140 South St., Wrentham.

Visiting hours at the R.J. Ross Funeral Home, 135 South St., Wrentham, will be on Friday afternoon from 4-8PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245.

Additional information may be found at www.rjrossfuneralhomeinc.com.