Robert Lee Rooney

Robert “Bob” Lee Rooney, 82, of Atchison, Kansas, passed away on March 6, 2026, in Kansas City, Kansas. Born on May 15, 1943, in Stratton, Nebraska, to Tamzen and Lloyd Rooney, Bob grew up on the family farm, an experience that instilled in him a strong work ethic, a deep love for wheat harvests in western Kansas, and a lifelong ease with dirt on his boots and tools in his hands.

After graduating from McDonald High School in 1961, he proudly served in the United States Army. On June 3, 1967, he married Diana Lee Scholz, and together they built a life centered on faith, family, and hard work. Bob worked as an Electrical Working Foreman for MGP for 39 years before retiring, then continued his active ways with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Whether on the job or in his shed, he was always building, fixing, or creating. Known for his overalls, pliers, and a small notebook with a pen tucked in the front pocket, he had a gift for seeing potential in old tools and cast-offs, transforming them into metal art, critters, and forests of bottle trees.

Bob loved playing cards with friends, eating fish, helping others, and most of all, spending time with his family. A man of deep faith, he was a longtime member of St. John’s Catholic Church in Doniphan, Kansas, continuing to care for the church and mow its grounds long after it closed, and later became a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Atchison. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Lloyd Rooney. Bob is survived by his wife, Diana; his children Michele (John) Janorschke of St. Joseph, Missouri, Mark Rooney of Atchison, Kansas, Martina (Chris) Breneiser of Mesa, Arizona, and Melinda (Gregg) Whigham of Starkville, Mississippi; his grandchildren Justin, Jacqueline, and Jessica Janorschke, Hope, Hattie, and Hannagan Rooney, Andrew and Ben Whigham, and Emma Whigham (Steffen) Uhrich; his siblings Betty (John) Mickey of Fort Collins, Colorado, Patti (Mike) Hayden of Lawrence, Kansas, Rodney (Linda) Rooney of Culbertson, Nebraska, and Bradley (Kris) Rooney of Trenton, Nebraska; his sister-in-law Maxine Rooney of Bryan, Texas; and his brothers-in-law Francis (Nancy) Scholz and Mark (Julie) Scholz of Atchison.