Joseph A Mooney

Throughout his long career—as a psychiatrist at Western State Hospital, in private practice, at Charter Hospital, and later as a beloved member of the Region Ten Community Services Board—Joe quietly made an indelible mark on the lives of his patients and colleagues. Hundreds remember him not just as a skilled clinician but as a kind, gentle presence who met suffering with deep empathy and unwavering respect.

A quiet man with a deep love for literature, Joe drew on the wisdom of great writers to cultivate the art of listening—not just hearing words, but truly understanding. Whether his patients were grappling with profound crises or smaller, everyday struggles, Joe offered them dignity, care, and generosity of spirit.

That same presence infused his roles as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, friend, and neighbor. He believed that a good life was built from simple acts of attention and care—whether that meant sitting patiently with someone in pain or stooping to pick up trash from the sidewalks of Charlottesville or from the beaches of Cape Cod, Florida, and the Outer Banks. Walking anywhere with Joe often meant stopping to clean the world, one discarded bottle or wrapper at a time.

Born in 1935 in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn to Florence Regina Long and Arthur Joseph Mooney, Joe grew up spending summers in Sayville on Long Island, where he built and sailed wooden boats—a lifelong source of joy and metaphor. After graduating from St. Augustine Diocesan High School in Brooklyn, he earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from Lehigh University. He served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy, stationed in Morocco, before attending medical school and completing a psychiatry residency at the University of Virginia.

In addition to his medical career, Joe was deeply engaged in his community. He served as chair of the Charlottesville City School Board in the mid-1980s, was active in the local Democratic Party, and was a familiar face at the polls on Election Day and at Fry’s Spring Neighborhood Association meetings.

In his later years, Joe found joy and resilience in unexpected places: rowing with the Rivanna Rowing Club under coach Brett Wilson, working out at ACAC downtown, and deepening his spiritual practice through meditation retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh and Tara Brach, the teachings of the Dalai Lama, and regular meditation with Charlottesville Zen priest Bill Stevens. He was also nourished by the friendships and wisdom of Charlottesville’s Al-Anon community.

His bookshelves reflected the arc of his life’s passions, lined with Moby-Dick, the essays of E.B. White, Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the mysteries of Tony Hillerman, and the spiritual teachings that sustained him in later years.

Joe spent his final years surrounded by love—the steadfast care of his family, the friendship of David Silver and Andrew Wyndham, and the compassionate staff of Rosewood Village and Hospice of the Piedmont.

He is predeceased by his parents, his sister Jeanne Marie Mooney Lynch, her husband Francis T. Lynch, their son Frank, and his former wife Gyneth Jean Shires. He is survived by his wife Betty; daughters Charlotte, Jenny, and Saskia; their partners Christopher, Jeremiah, and Holly; and three treasured grandchildren—Helena, Spencer, and Danica—of whom he was immensely proud. He also leaves behind his loving niece Barbara, nephew Kevin, and their families, as well as a wide circle of friends and former patients whose lives were brightened by his presence.

Joe Mooney walked gently through the world, always expressing gratitude and always ready to listen, to lend a hand, or to pick up a stray piece of litter. In doing so, he left it better than he found it.