Stephen Mooney

STEPHEN MOONEY Stephen John Mooney "Steve", age 62, passed away on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 in Chico, CA. Born to Kenneth Gerald & Gretchen Mary Mooney on June 21, 1956 in San Francisco, CA. Steve grew up in Sonoma where his love of farming and animals helped him and his sisters and brothers to create the Mooney Family 4-H Club. Shortly after the death of their father, Steve assumed the role of patriarch of the family and decided to move the family to Gridley, CA where they purchased a Kiwi Farm. Steve was a very driven; hardworking, humble, kind and generous man whose many talents inc-luded being an architect, builder, electrician, mec-hanic, and his all time favorite, a chef! His many jobs that he held through the years included owning a donut shop and a hamburger restaurant and an ice cream shop, always with his two favorite sisters/free help running the front. When Steve was planning the next page of the family story, there was never a question that it would be with his mother, brother and sisters by his side. With these talents, and his know-how of all things, is what helped build the family business into what it is today. Steve loved to cook, and he was happiest in the kitchen creating a meal to share with his family and friends! In 1986, it was this love of cooking and hard work coupled with the need to save the family farm that began the journey of building what is now Mooney Farms. They began making kiwi jam from the kiwis on the family farm; this later developed into making sun dried tomatoes from an old family recipe and selling them at farmers markets. They sold their first pallet to Price Club, which sold out in 4 hours, and that is how it all began. It was the success of the sales from the sun dried tomatoes that helped to create what is now Mooney Farms, home of the Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes and began to create Steve's legacy. Mooney Farms pioneered this product; helping build the Family Business into the largest producer of sun dried tomatoes in the Americas. None of this could have happened without Steve's genius in traversing from hand stuffing a jar of sun dried tomatoes in a 5,000 sq ft pizza parlor on Kentucky St. in Gridley, into a 100,000 sq ft, fully automated facility as the architect behind the family's success. In 1997, Steve married Lisa Farrell Mooney, and on February 14, 2000 they welcomed a beautiful baby girl who became the light and center of Steve's life, Sarah Elisabeth Mooney. His father, Kenneth Michael Mooney and his brother Michael Martin Mooney precede Steve in death. Steve is survived by his wife, Lisa of 22 years; his daughter Sarah Mooney; his mother Gretchen Mooney; his sister Mary Mooney McConnell (Mike), his sister Kelly Mooney Gray (Ian), his bother Pat Mooney (Sue); nephews, Michael McConnell, Mark McConnell, Christopher Gray & Sean Mooney. Services are planned for February 21 at 11:30AM at Our Divine Savior Catholic Church 566 E. Lassen Ave. Chico, CA 95926. Steve will be laid to rest at Gridley-Biggs Cemetery in Gridley, CA. To share your thoughts and condolences online, please visit www. NewtonBracewell.com.