EDWARD L. MOONEY

HOLY CROSS VILLAGE – Edward Mooney, a resident of Holy Cross Village, died December 7, 2013. He was born January 17, 1921, in Columbia, South Carolina, the only child of Neil Mooney and Mildred Fryover Mooney. He spent most of his life in Norwich, New York, a place he dearly loved for its beauty and its small town values and lifestyle. He received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Alfred University, and a master’s degree from Syracuse, New York. He was a ceramic engineer who worked on jet propulsion and rocket engines; he actually was a rocket scientist! He was a perfectionist who passed up many offers of more prestigious positions so that he and his wife could raise their family in Norwich. Ed and Connie moved to South Bend, Indiana, in 1992 to be near four of their grandchildren.
Ed served in the United States Army during World War II and was stationed in India working in the supply lines for the flights “over the hump” into China. He was proud of hia service to our country and proud of his son Scott’s West Point education and service in U.S. Special Forces.
He married Consuelo Scott in 1948 and they had three children, Carol Ann, Nancy, and Scott. But Connie’s definition of family was expansive and Ed, who was an only child, learned to live in a household that often hosted his sister-in-law and various nieces and nephews. In fact, Ed and Connie’s Studebaker sedan was known to transport as many as 10 people up into the Adirondack mountains for vacation; that was the era before seat belts.
Ed was a reserved New Englander whose quietness was deceiving. He was a star athlete in both high school and college, excelling in pole vault when bamboo poles were used. He loved big band jazz and dancing. He had such a great sense of humor that he was in constant demand as roastmaster for retirement dinners. He loved Connie so much that he really couldn’t talk about her after her death except to constantly marvel at how she had always gone out of her way to help other people.
Edward was predeceased by his wife Consuelo and their son, Scott Edward. He is survived by his two daughters Carol Ann Mooney of South Bend, Indiana, and Nancy McCarter of Jupiter, Florida, and a son-in-law who was also Ed’s buddy, George Efta. He was also survived by seven grandchildren, Elizabeth Efta, Christine Efta (Kevin Fortner), Caitlin Riley (Chad Riley), Valerie Efta, Jennifer Hargrave, Katharine Hargrave, and Allison Hargrave, and two great-grandchildren, Violet and Quinten Fortner.
Visitation will take place at R.J. Fahy Funeral Home in Norwich on Friday, December 13 from 5:30-7:30pm… A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Saint Paul’s Church in Norwich, New York at 11 am on Saturday, December 14. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Consuelo and Edward Mooney scholarship fund at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556.
Rest in Peace, Dad. We love you.