Edmund Rooney Obituary

My condolences to the Rooney family.

I was honored to serve many years with Ed on the Chicago Headline Club's board of directors. He was a wonderful person and remained devoted to the profession. He volunteered from the heart and was an inspiration to many of us.

As a fellow South Sider, I often ran into him in the Beverly area and he always stopped to talk. What a truly gracious man!

We were all blessed to know him.

Dear Molly and Family,

My deepest condolences to you and your family on your father's passing. You and I worked at Traffic Court and I remember you telling me stories about your Dad. Your pride in him was evident. Treasure all of the wonderful memories you have of him and he will be with you always.

I was very sad to hear of Mr. Rooney's passing. He was one of my journalism professors at Loyola University in the mid-1980s and he was a great adviser for me as a student and as managing editor of the student newspaper. He encouraged us to report the news without fear of angering the authorities, a principle I am grateful to him for even today. He was a good man and a great newspaper man. All of his former students were enriched by knowing him.

My condolences to Mr. Rooney's family.

Tim and Jean-
I was sorry to hear of the loss of your father. I am keeping Mr. Rooney and your family in my prayers.
Sincerely,

To the Entire Rooney Family,
My thoughts and prayers are with you all at this time.
I will always remember your Dad at the ALS support group meetings with your wonderful mom Mary.
Thank you all for your support all these yesrs.
Sincerely,
Ileane Mindel RN
Nurse Consultant
Les Turner ALS Foundation

My late husband, Bill Furlong, always said that Ed Rooney ws the best newspaperman in Chicago. And I remember many delightful, laugh-filled, evenings with Ed and his wonderful wife Mary ..so many years ago. May he rest in peace.

It was our pleasure to know and work with Ed as his therapists at Smith Village. He was a true gentlemen; even under trying circumstances he never complained but always said things were going good. We'll miss you Doc.

Dear Ellen and Andy:

So sorry to hear of your Dad's passing. My deepest sympathies to you and your family. His memory and legacy will live on. Sincerely, Marc Davis (Kev's Dad).

Our condolences to the Rooney family.

I met Mr. Rooney (a few years before his doctorate) when I took his journalism class at Loyola in 1967-68. He would bring in guest speakers of the likes of Father George Clement, Chief Judge John S. Boyle (who I later worked for), Office Jack Muller, and a Marine sergeant just back from Viet Nam he had interviewed on his return. He also took us on a field trip to Stateville, where he greated murderer William Heirens. He knew quite a collection of people.
We would have to write a news article on the speakers and he would offer excellent constructive criticism. He taught me a lot about writing.(Most of which I unlearned when I began to write like a lawyer.)
I ran into him a few times over the years, included the summer of 1968 when he introduced me to Jimmy Breslin in the lobby of the Conrad Hilton during the Democratic convention. He was always a pleasure to speak with and just a very enjoyable person.
I want to extend my sympathy to his family on your loss. In addition to his family, Ed Rooney made a positive difference in the lives of many others. May God keep Ed and bless his family.

My condolences to Ed's family. We ran into each other on many police
cases in the 50's, while he was at the Daily News and I was at CNB.
Rest in Peace pal.

Dear Rooney family:

I met Mr. Rooney at St. Xavier many years ago while I was taking journalism classes there...I was very impressed by his professionalism and kind demeanor.
My condolences to all of you,
Joe Collins, St. Xavier Class of 1980

Dear Peter & Rooney Family,
I am sorry to hear the loss of your father. I never knew Dr. Rooney, but I know one of his own, and I understand every generous word is well deserved. I will keep you and your entire family in my thoughts and prayers.

I was honored to know your father and work with him in several journalism organizations over the year, especially with the 1st Amendment Forum begun under his guidance at Loyola

Molly,
Your neighbors on Maplewood are keeping you and your family in our thoughts and prayers.

Dear John,

So sorry to hear about your dad's death. I remember him well from when we were at Loyola together. He was a wonderful man. I shall say Mass for him and the family later this week. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

John Flynn - I am very sorry to learn of your dad's passing. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Your dad was a great guy; we crossed paths a few times when we were at Loyola. He certainly left his mark on this world in many ways -- as husband, father, grandfather, journalist, teacher -- and few other categories you probably know about better than I. Many people were blessed to have known him.

May God's eternal mercy and love be with your dad as he enters the place that has been prepared for him; and may God's amazing grace be your strength and guide these coming days and months as you and your family mourn the loss of a fine man.

Dear John and entire Rooney family, Please accept my sincere condolences on the passing of your father.By all accounts,he sounded like a first class individual who always put his faith and family first.His work ethic was something that is rare these days and the well written article in the Tribune really captured the essence of a highly educated yet very ambitious man.My dad graduated from St.Rita in 1943 and I'm sure the whole St.Rita community is mourning his loss.We'll keep you and your family in our prayers.God Bless.

My condolences to the Rooney family.

I first met this first-class gentleman when he joined us in the squad car on a "ride-along" one bloody violent night in the old Fillmore police district circa 1968. The next night, a still white-knuckled Ed shared his CPD "ride" that he'd never forget with Daily News readers.

May he rest in peace.

My prayers will be offered for a great man,good friend,model citizen,wonderful Christian.We've all profited by living near Ed Rooney.God bless you and yours.

I am so saddened by the news of the passing of Ed Rooney. He was a fine colleague and friend, dedicated to preserving the First Amendment by establishing the Freedom of Information Center at Loyola and organizing annual discussions for the university and Chicago community.

Ed was an excellent role model-- persistence not only as a journalist but also as an adult pursuing his graduate education while working and raising his wonderful children with his loving wife Mary.

We were all very fond of him and will miss him greatly.

My sympathy and prayers to Ed Rooney's family. I remember him with affection from my days at Loyola U. When he joined the faculty, the students learned what Pulitzer Prize level journalism meant. I will always thank him for recommending me for a job at St. Louis U. which led to my job as president at the U. of San Diego. He was a generous, gifted, kind man and will be missed.

Alice Hayes

I knew Ed Rooney for all of the years he spent at Loyola University. As a teacher and as a student when he was working on his doctoral degree. He always had wonderful and interesting stories to tell.
My sincerest condolences to his family.

Sorry about your loss. I only knew Ed when I dated his brother Bob in high school.He was a wonderful "big brother"and easy to talk to.
Ed's accomplishments were many since then. I will keep him in my prayers as well as your family.I was widowed 10 years ago so I understand what you must be going through.

I was very saddened to hear on the radio this morning about the death of Ed Rooney. Ed was a longtime member of the Society of Professional Journalists and he served for many years on the Board of Directors of its local chapter, the Chicago Headline Club.

Ed was a hard-charging, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist of the "old school." I always enjoyed listening to him telling stories about Chicago politics and events that he covered during his many years in the journalism profession.

He was a great teacher, a courageous defender of the First Amendment and a great inspiration to me.

When I think of people who I've known as having "full lives, well lived," Ed Rooney will always be among the top of my list.

My best wishes to Ed's family.

I WAS ONE OF HIS MANY STUDENTS.I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HIS BIRTHDAY--THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR. ETERNAL REST GRANT TO HIM.

Dr. Rooney must have been a very special man, because his children are such very wonderful people. I know how hard it is to lose your father, and my thoughts and prayers are with you and your families.

My condolences to the Rooney family. "They are not gone who live in the hearts they left behind".

My sympathies to the Rooney family. I have fond memories of Ed carrying on with my brother, Bill, many, many years ago and of Ed's moving tribute to Bill at the Memorial service in March 2001. Ed was in fine fettle then and it's how I shall remember him.

Dr.Rooney will be missed by many people,I for one, as I accompanied him to alot of his Dr.appointments.
Dr.Rooney didn't waste anytime just sitting or waiting, he always had his books with him, and was eager to tell you if a friend of his wrote the book. I will miss our rides to the doctor's office and our interesting conversations. He was a very gentle-man.