Robert “Bob” James Mooney of Frisco, Texas suddenly and unexpectedly left this life on February 21, 2020 at the age 79. Bob was born on May 11, 1940 to Robert “Bob” Percy Mooney and Mildred Beatrice (Philpot) Mooney in Douglas, Arizona. In the mid 40’s, the Mooneys moved back to their home state of Texas and to south Oak Cliff. Unbeknownst to anyone at that time, a family by the last name of Pasqualino moved from Massachusetts into that same neighborhood in Oak Cliff and would soon change the Mooney’s lives in every way. Legend has it that the Mooney-Pasqualino connection was first made in the halls of South Oak Cliff High School, but that the real love connection was not made until Bob, who was a homesick freshman at A&M University, wrote seven girls he had crushes on in high school, and Mary Anne, who was attending the University of Arlington at the time, was the only one to write him back. That lucky stroke of a pen was the beginning of a relationship that would yield three daughters, six grandchildren, and a love that was not limited to the confines of this world.
Bob and Mary Anne graduated with the South Oak Cliff class of 1958. Bob, a first-generation college graduate, completed his degree in Business Marketing from Texas A&M in 1963, a month before he and Mary Anne got married. Upon their wedding at St. Piux V church in east Dallas on July 20, 1963, they immediately settled into a small apartment in the neighborhood of Winnetka Heights and Bob began his lifelong career in sales at Sears Roebuck, while Mary Anne began her career in teaching with Dallas ISD. Bob excelled in the area of business and sales and spent the majority of his career as a road warrior, while Mary Anne held down the familial fort once their family began to grow. Family was everything to both Bob and Mary Anne, and Bob’s devotion to his bride was never more illuminated than when Mary Anne began to show signs of Alzheimer’s just a few years after they both retired. He was constantly by her side, every day, even after she was moved to a memory care center. His constant hugs, cuddles, and kisses seemed to transcend the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s as indicated by her demonstrative reciprocation, despite her loss of memory and language. He was there when she took her final breath on January 24, 2017. At the time of Mary Anne’s death, they had been married almost 54 years.
His love for all things of hearth and home were indicated by his desire to spend time with his family. He loved homemade food and luckily his mom, Mildred, was an amazing cook. He loved homemade comfort foods like chicken fried steak, pecan pie, pralines, and banana pudding. Since he was on the road so much, he had a great love for quick and easy, grab and go junk food, especially the pralines and cream shakes from Stuckey’s, which everyone knew was nothing short of an addiction for him. In addition to his love of pecan-filled desserts and fried food, he loved the Dallas Cowboys, his Texas Aggies, golfing, going to the beach, super sweet iced tea (because that is the way tea is supposed to be in Texas), anything that had to do with World War II, jazz music, science fiction, reading, and all things banana flavored (except for bananas). He was a self-taught, but highly skilled sketch artist, which was a gift he passed down to his children and grandchildren. He had an encyclopedia-like memory about historical events and he was one of the funniest, easiest people to be around. His smile was infectious, and he left the world a better, brighter, more beautiful place than when he came into it.
He is sorrowfully survived by his daughters, Robyn Anne Delahunt and husband, Robert of Plano, Texas, Aimee Elizabeth Rodenroth and husband, Greg of McKinney, Texas and Shannon Marie Mooney and family friend, Russell Crow of Frisco, Texas; grandchildren, Ian Delahunt, Brandon Rodenroth, Tyson Rodenroth, Macey Delahunt, Sydney Rodenroth and Regan Delahunt; granddaughter-in-law, Amanda Vann, great-grandson, Diam Rocha and numerous other loving family and friends.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Robert (Bob) Percy and Mildred Beatrice Mooney; his in-laws, Guy Thomas Pasqualino and Anne Eleanor (Capone) Pasqualino; the love of his life and eternal partner, Mary Anne (Pasqualino) Mooney; and his older brother, Charles Mooney.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, February 27, 2020 at St. Gabriel the Archangel Church, 110 Saint Gabriel Way, McKinney, Texas 75071. A remembrance gathering will be held at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home Chapel, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas 75013 from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. with a rosary service beginning at 7:00 p.m.
The family ask that donations be made to the Alzheimers Association in lieu of flowers.