James Edward Cooney

James Edward Cooney " Jim", age 87, passed away peacefully at the Sunrise of Troy retirement community in Troy, MI, on July 21, 2025. Jim was born on March 24, 1938, in Greeley, NE, the sixth of seven children born to the late Patrick M. and Mary P. Cooney (Mulligan). The Cooney family moved from Greeley County to Omaha, NE, in 1950, where Jim graduated from Holy Name School in 1956.

Jim had a long, successful career with Northwestern Mutual selling life insurance and other financial investments in the Metro Detroit area. Later, he expanded his market to Illinois, Texas, and Indiana. He moved to Detroit in 1960 upon advice received from his brother Frank pertaining to good opportunities in the area. Soon after, Jim enrolled at Wayne State University to study political science.

In his earlier years, he was married to Veronica E. Sauve of Detroit, MI, in 1962, with whom he has three children: Jerome (Laura Storjohann) Cooney of Salt Lake City, UT, Kathleen (Ray) Schultz of Lake Orion, MI, and Thomas (Deborah) Cooney of Honolulu, HI. Jim and Veronica raised their children in Livonia and Berkley.

Jim was a lifelong baseball and football fan, taking tremendous interest in the fortunes of the Detroit Tigers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He was also an avid recreational cyclist to maintain physical fitness, as well as a dedicated reader of political news and biographies. Another occasional diversion was going to the horse racing track at DRC or Hazel Park to bet a few bucks on the ponies. Jim was a member of the Roman Catholic church community and attended mass regularly in multiple parishes throughout his life.

Jim is preceded in death by his parents and his four brothers, Patrick, Francis, Jerome, and Eugene. He is survived by his three children, his grandchildren, Andrew Schultz, Tricia Schultz, Brennan Cooney, Alanna Cooney, and Rylan Cooney; his beloved sisters Rosella M. Leasure of San Diego, CA, and Patricia A. Waner of Scottsdale, AZ.

Jim will be interred at Roseland Park Cemetery in Berkley, MI. The family will hold a private service at a later date. Jim made generous legacy gifts to organizations he supported to include Catholic Relief Services, CARE, Doctors Without Borders USA, and UNICEF USA. He and his family ask others to consider gifts to these charities in lieu of flowers.