Roger was born on September 12, 1942 to Mattie Roxanne and Troy Bevins Looney, both of Cartersville, in the historic mill village of Atco, a fact he was immensely proud of all his life. He had one younger brother, Kenneth John Looney. He graduated from Cartersville High School in 1960. He attended West Georgia College for two years. While there he helped found its Baptist Student Union. He later attended the University of Georgia.
He enjoyed working for many years in retail at local stores including McKinney’s Shoe Store, Wheelers, Jenny Burn’s Men Clothing, and Belk. Later, he spent many years working in the carpet industry for Benchmark and Shaw, Industries as a dye technician.
He married Sylvia Lynnette Cornelius in 1971, and they had four children, Jennifer Dyan, Alisha Renee, Angela Lynn, and Jonathan Roger.
Family and friends recall some of his most outstanding characteristics. His faith in God was paramount in his life and he sought to share his faith with everyone. He was a lifelong resident of Atco in Cartersville, and a lifelong member of Atco Baptist Church. He served in many positions there including deacon, Sunday School Teacher, choir member, Vacation Bible School Recreation coordinator, and participated in a few preacher search committees. At one point, he had more than 40 years perfect attendance in Sunday School. He also had an amazing memory for details, and he used it to share countless anecdotes of the history of the early days of Atco, Cartersville, and endless facts for his favorite sports teams, especially his beloved Georgia Bulldogs and Cartersville Purple Hurricanes.
Roger was preceded in death by his parents, Troy and Mattie Looney, brother, Ken Looney, wife, Lynn Looney, and one infant child, Angela. He is survived by 3 children, Jennifer Clark (husband Jeremy), Alisha McGinnis (husband David) and Jon Looney; 6 grandchildren, Raven, Jessica, Ciara and Chynna Clark, and Anson and Liam McGinnis, and one great-grandson, Kingston Clark.
A viewing will take place on Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at Owen Funeral Home from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. The funeral will be at Atco Baptist Church on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 2:00pm. Interment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery. Owen Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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