Robert “Bob” Lee Rooney, 82, of Atchison, Kansas, passed away Friday, March 6, 2026, in Kansas City, Kansas. Ironically, he passed on National Oreo Cookie Day. Oreos were his favorite snack and the last thing he ate.
Bob was born May 15, 1943, in Stratton, Nebraska, to Tamzen and Lloyd Rooney. He grew up on the family farm - a beginning that shaped his work ethic, his love of wheat harvests back home in western Kansas, and his lifelong comfort with dirt on his boots and tools in his hands.
Following his graduation from McDonald High School, Class of 1961, Bob proudly served in the United States Army. On June 3, 1967, he married Diana Lee Scholz. Together they built a life rooted in faith, family, and hard work. Diana survives him at their home.
Bob worked as an Electrical Working Foreman for MGP for 39 years before retiring. Never one to sit still, he later worked for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Whether on the job or in his shed, Bob was always building, fixing, or creating. He was known for his overalls, pliers and a small notebook with a pen tucked neatly in the front pocket - ready to measure or solve whatever needed solving. He transformed old tools and cast-offs into metal art, seeing potential where others saw scrap, creating critters and forests of bottle trees.
He loved playing cards with friends, eating fish, helping others, and most of all, being with his family. Bob was a faithful member of St. John’s Catholic Church in Doniphan, Kansas, until its closing, and he continued caring for the church and mowing its grounds long after the doors shut. He was a current member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Atchison. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Lloyd Rooney.
He is survived by his wife, Diana; his children: Michele (John) Janorschke of St. Joseph, Missouri; Mark Rooney of Atchison, Kansas; Martina (Chris) Breneiser of Mesa, Arizona; and Melinda (Gregg) Whigham of Starkville, Mississippi; and his grandchildren: Justin, Jacqueline, and Jessica Janorschke; Hope, Hattie, and Hannagan Rooney; Andrew and Ben Whigham and Emma Whigham (Steffen) Uhrich. He is also survived by his siblings Betty (John) Mickey of Fort Collins, Colorado; Patti (Mike) Hayden of Lawrence, Kansas; Rodney (Linda) Rooney of Culbertson, Nebraska; and Bradley (Kris) Rooney of Trenton, Nebraska. Also surviving are his sister-in-law Maxine Rooney of Bryan, TX and his brothers-in-law Francis (Nancy) Scholz and Mark (Julie) Scholz, all of Atchison.
The Rosary will be prayed at 6:00 PM Monday, March 16, 2026, with visitation following until 8:00 PM at Rupp Funeral Home in St. Joseph, Missouri. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:00 AM Tuesday, March 17, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Atchison, Kansas, with Fr. Will Rooney as celebrant. Interment will follow at the National Cemetery in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Memorials are requested to St. John’s Oratory in care of St. Benedict’s Parish, Atchison, Kansas.
Overalls and green attire are encouraged as family and friends gather to “Say goodbye Bob.” Saying goodbye on St. Patrick’s Day, his favorite holiday, feels fitting for Bob - as green is the color of wheat fields, of work shirts, and the first tractor he learned to drive.
Online condolences and the full obituary may be found at www.ruppfuneral.com
