Rooney Family Tree

Hello Darling!

We'll always savor mom's greeting, one she used for her many darlings- sons, daughter's in law, nieces, grandchildren, and friends.

Jean McNamara passed away January 24th at age 88 with her family at he r side.

She was born in Great Falls, Montana in 1925. When she was a teenager , her family moved to Seattle. This was during the Depression, which i mprinted life-long lessons, which only made her prouder of her Scotch/ Norwegian heritage. Jobs were especially scarce in Montana, but the Se attle shipyards provided jobs for Jean, her father, and her brother.

She met the love of her life, Tom McNamara, at the Trianon Ballroom. T om winked at her from across the dance floor, a classic move that actu ally worked. Soon they were inseparable and married within a year. A s it was wartime, many of Jean's relatives donated 'coupons' so she co uld buy a wedding dress and new shoes.

Family was everything to Jean and Tom. They raised four sons in West S eattle and were married for 60 years until Tom's death in 2006.

Jean worked in between raising the boys, as she toiled for: War Asset s Office, Southern Pacific Railroad, The Bonneville Power Administrati on, a local architect firm; Jean worked part time as a model in her 20 's. Jean worked at Kaiser Gypsum in the early 60's so the family coul d build a summer cabin at Lake Samish in 1964. While working for Kaise r, a fellow worker dubbed Jean, 'The Queen of the Duwamish'

Generous with her time and attention, you knew mom loved you,, but tha t didn't mean she was going to open her checkbook willy-nilly. "I'll w rite you a check for a dollar" she'd say when you asked for a little c ash. Little indeed. She didn't want us to get spoiled.

On her honeymoon at the St Francis Hotel in San Francisco, she purchas ed a cookbook and transformed herself into a wonderful cook and baker . Spaghetti, roasts, cinnamon rolls and pies were family favorites an d a testament to her affection and work ethic

After Tom passed away, Jean and her dear friend Ralph Sterley saw eac h other frequently and were such regulars at Anthony's in Des Moines t hat they got to know the staff and often had a special table with a sw eet view. Jean thought their salmon and crab bisque were sublime.

A life long liberal, Jean believed in fairness and was healthily suspi cious of authority. We learned from her not to accept the status quo.

Jean enjoyed life thoroughly up to her final week, her laugh a constan t, joyful sound at family gatherings. At the end of the day, she enjoy ed nothing more than a cup of her beloved Ketepa Pride tea while watch ing "The Good Wife", her favorite show, on the Roku.

Jean is survived by her four sons-Bruce (Sheila), Dan (Maureen), Joh n (Margaret), and Tom; eight grandchildren, Johnny (Suzy),Michael (Car rie), Stacy Jean (Eric), Erin (Gabe), Morgan (Nicole), Bonnie Jean (Do nny), Lisa (Armando), and Chanel (Dave); and eight great grandchildre n - Lennae, Kacy, Justin Shaye, Kainoa, Sophie, Ella, and Lola Jean.

It's a rare gift to be loved unconditionally. We all felt that from th e woman we called Mom, Jean, Grandma, and Cheenie. It's a testament t o our love for her that three of her grandchildren are named Jean. An d that's just among the boys. Kidding. She'd have said "good one, darl ing."

Services: Saturday, February 1st, 12:30 p.m. at Fir-Conway Lutheran Ch urch.

Published in The Seattle Times from Jan. 29 to Jan. 30, 2014