Gerald Michael Rooney, 19352016 (aged 81 years)

Name
Gerald Michael /Rooney/
Given names
Gerald Michael
Surname
Rooney
Birth
Baptism
Birth of a brother
Death of a brother
Birth of a brother
Baptism of a brother
Death of a paternal grandmother
Death of a father
Death of a mother
Death of a sister
Death of a brother
Death of a sister
Death of a sister
Burial of a mother
Death
Family with parents
father
18981956
Birth: January 29, 1898 54 36 Raymond Township, Stearns County, Minnesota
Death: October 19, 1956Padua, Stearns County, Minnesota
mother
19061980
Birth: August 21, 1906Aitkin, Aitkin County, Minnesota
Death: December 26, 1980Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minnesota
elder sister
19282009
Birth: March 8, 1928 30 21 Padua, Stearns County, Minnesota
Death: November 8, 2009Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minnesota
17 months
elder sister
19292017
Birth: July 21, 1929 31 22 Padua, Stearns County, Minnesota
Death: October 11, 2017Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota
21 months
elder sister
19311996
Birth: April 3, 1931 33 24 Padua, Stearns County, Minnesota
Death: May 5, 1996Hennepin County, Minnesota
16 months
elder sister
19322014
Birth: July 25, 1932 34 25 Padua, Stearns County, Minnesota
Death: June 29, 2014Glenwood, Pope County, Minnesota
21 months
elder brother
19342009
Birth: April 20, 1934 36 27 Padua, Stearns County, Minnesota
Death: October 31, 2009Brooten, Stearns County, Minnesota
13 months
himself
19352016
Birth: May 20, 1935 37 28 Padua, Stearns County, Minnesota
Death: September 5, 2016Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minnesota
younger sister
Private
younger brother
19391939
Birth: February 6, 1939 41 32 Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minnesota
Death: February 6, 1939Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minnesota
2 years
younger brother
19412022
Birth: March 6, 1941 43 34 Pope County, Minnesota
Death: November 19, 2022
younger sister
Private
younger brother
Private
younger brother
Private
Family with Georgia Elaine Felling
himself
19352016
Birth: May 20, 1935 37 28 Padua, Stearns County, Minnesota
Death: September 5, 2016Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minnesota
wife
19372021
Birth: August 25, 1937Lake George Township, Stearns County, Minnesota
Death: January 24, 2021Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minnesota
son
Private
daughter
Private
daughter
Private
daughter
Private
son
Private
son
Private
Shared note

Gerald "Jerry" M. Rooney, 81 of Belgrade, was 81 years of age when he passed away at Getty Street Assisted Living in Sauk Centre, on Monday, September 05, 2016.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 10, 2016 at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Belgrade. Visitation will be 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday at the Johnson Funeral Home in Belgrade where there will be a 5:30 Rosary and 7:30 p.m. parish prayer service. Visitation will continue on Saturday for one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Gerald Michael Rooney was born on May 20, 1935 in Sauk Centre, the son of Francis and Josephine (Jasken) Rooney. He grew up on the family farm near Padua with 11 siblings where he attended grade school in a one room schoolhouse and Brooten high school. On January 21, 1956, Jerry was united in marriage to Georgia Felling in Elrosa and they celebrated 60 years together. To this union three sons and three daughters were born. Initially, they made their home in St. Paul, MN where he worked for the Great Northern Railroad and was a member of the MN National Guard.

The young family moved to Belgrade in 1961 where, over the years, Jerry worked as a realtor, and as the owner and operator of Rooney's Oil Co. and Truck Stop. In his early years as an entrepreneur, Jerry worked up to seven days a week, often attending meetings after work. His first business was a root beer stand in Sauk Centre, MN which was displaced by I-94. He had sections of it moved to Belgrade after purchasing the North Star Station and Restaurant. In this location, he was active in promoting and growing Belgrade. He designed, built and managed two mobile home courts. He helped bring funding to Belgrade that built two HUD apartment buildings. He brought improvements to the fire department as a volunteer member, EMT and Fire-chief. In the late 1970's, he had the old Northstar Gas Station and Restaurant torn down and built a brand new structure that housed the gas station and Crow Country Cafe. He also promoted building the Belgrade pool and he enjoyed calling bingo for the Commercial Club. His passing away on Labor Day seems appropriate because he was a hard working individual his entire life.

Jerry was a very social person who enjoyed spending time with family and friends. He loved a good poker game, cribbage game, horse shoes, and a hearty discussion of politics and government. He was a great dancer and enjoyed dances with Georgia. They were active members of St. Francis de Sales Catholic church.

Jerry enjoyed watching his children grow. They all had the chance to work for him at the gas station and/or the restaurant. It was a lively household with a vibrant give and take of ideas and opinions. A cabin on Grove Lake was the culmination of a dream Jerry and Georgia had and it is a place that holds many happy memories for the family. Jerry was always happy to see his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; they all brought him much joy!

Life was never easy for Jerry, but he somehow managed to laugh with gusto and had a marvelous twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes and loved to tease people by giving them a"hard time". His stoicism and fortitude were admirable.

He moved to Sauk Centre in 2013 where he was a resident of Getty Street Assisted Living.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Georgia; children, Rick (Sandy) Rooney of Hayward, WI, Robin (John) Rooney-Rongitsch of Maple Grove, RoxAnne (Robert) Petterson of Black River Falls, WI, RaMona (Albert) Gruber of Sauk Centre, Rodney(Lora) Rooney of Ammon, Idaho, and Russel (Shelly) Rooney of Belgrade, MN; 17 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren; and siblings, Joan Domke, Norene Miller, Phillip (Jeanne) Rooney, Sharon Beseke, David (Karen) Rooney and Dan (Jude) Rooney; and survived by in-laws: George Zilliox, Delores and Howard Handeland, Dorothy Unger, Shirley Goering, Betty Felling; also, many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; and siblings, Kay Walz, Pat Kelley, Frances Zilliox, Richard, infant, John,Jerome; and several beloved in-laws.