James Stirling Mooney

May 24, 1923 - February 18, 2016

Jim Mooney was born in Adrian, Michigan, the oldest of five children of Lonzo and Julia Mooney.

Jim graduated from Pontiac Central High School in Pontiac, Michigan, in 1941. While in high school, he met Helen "Jean" McClellan and they married soon after her graduation. Jim served in the US Navy during WWII, where he was trained in radar technology (very new at that time) and became a Radarman Second Class. While in the Navy, he served on a ship with Hollywood actor Henry Fonda. Upon returning from the war, Jim began working for Pontiac Motors, and continued working for Pontiac until his retirement in 1980. His Navy training lead to a lifelong love/hate relationship with anything that was electronic and gave him many frustrating moments. However, he was able to fix almost everything, and did so for himself, family and friends.

Jim and Jean raised their family in Michigan. Upon returning from the service, they moved to Walled Lake, where he built their first home entirely by himself, including digging a basement under the house after the house was finished.....and that was a real feat. After Jim retired from Pontiac Motors, he and Jean moved to Ahwatukee, Arizona, where he spent the first two years of his retirement making a desert paradise in their backyard by, on his own, digging in the hard Arizona soil to put in irrigation, trees and plants, including walls, and adding cement decking around their pool.

In 1996, they moved to Sun City Grand where he enjoyed golf and other outdoor activities, and going on cruises with Jean. Jim and Jean were Charter Members of Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church, where he continued to worship until he went into a care facility. Jim also traveled weekly for two years to attend Bethel Bible Study classes in Scottsdale.

In August of 2012, Jim and Jean celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary surrounded by their family and friends. Jean passed away in November of that year.

Jim spent the last two years in residential care facilities as he struggled with Alzheimer's.

Jim is survived by two sisters, Charlotte and Phyllis, four sons, Bob, Gary, Kim and Brad, a daughter, Cheryl, and daughters-in-law, Cindy (Bob), Cheri (Kim) and Teresa (Brad). His extended family also includes 12 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.