Howard Bryan Mooney, Jr., age 81, passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, May 29, 2022. He was born on July 8, 1940, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Howard was the son of Howard B. Mooney and Johnnie Mae Moss Mooney. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Shirley Mooney Spitzer. He attended Hot Springs High School as part of the Class of 1958. Howard enlisted in the U.S. Navy to serve his country and retired from the United States Navy as a Chief Quartermaster after 20 years of service. He served on the USS Coral Seas, the USS Oriskany, and the USS Hornet as part of the Apollo 11 Recovery Team. He also served as an ROTC instructor at the University of Missouri. In addition to his service years, Howard was also an over-the-road truck driver for 20 years with millions of accident-free miles. He was one of the best. RIP, Sugar Bear. He married Byrdie DeVane Sargo Mooney on April 11, 2003. They enjoyed their travels, Hornet Reunions, and life together for 19 years.
He is survived by his wife Byrdie Mooney of Hot Springs; son Josh Mooney of Hot Springs; daughter Shannon Mooney of Magnet Cove; stepdaughters Patti (Cal) Jones of Hot Springs; Toni Welch of Rogers; Mary Sargo (Jay)Schapiro of Hot Springs; stepsons Tim (Laura) Bichlmeier of Little Rock; Joe (Tereasa)Bichlmeier of Huntington Beach, CA; nephew Jamie Mooney of Heber Springs; Marq “Corky” (Tandy) Hebert II of Hot Springs; niece Tonya Neal of Bryant; Lisa (Chris) Schmiedeke of Dallas, TX; Tara (Curtis) Deardorff of Denver, CO; cousin Georgia (Jerry) Havens; grandchildren Kami and Kade Mooney, Tammie (Nick)Pearson, Tommy Welch, Gary (Kara) Jones, four great-grandchildren, two great nieces, and a host of friends made throughout his years in the Navy and trucking across America.
Honorary Pallbearers are Sabas Ugartechea, Harold Brown, Mike Gregor, Floyd Hurst, the HSHS Class of 1958, and the crew and shipmates of the USS Hornet, Oriskany, and Coral Seas.
Pallbearers are George Georgescu, Gene Dunn, Larry Dale Tillery, James Brown, Chris Kolasch, and Jade Herring.
Funeral services are under the direction of Gross Funeral Home. A graveside service with full military honors will be held at Hollywood Cemetery with John Howard and Ryan Culpepper officiating on Tuesday, June 7, at 1:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the USS Hornet Museum at
https://uss-hornet.org/support/donate
