Northfield Mount Hermon
Class of 1970
Patrick Mooney
PATRICK MOONEY Obituary
DUBOIS – Patrick R. Mooney, Jr., 84, of DuBois, died Sunday, June 11, 2023 at the DuBois Nursing Home.
Born Jan. 14, 1939 in McKeesport, he was the son of the late Patrick and Marcella (Simon) Mooney, Sr.
On June 13, 1964, he married his wife of 59 years, Virginia (Adams) Mooney. Virginia continues to live her life in ways that represent and honor Patrick’s values and philosophies.
Patrick graduated from Turtle Creek High School in 1956. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in education from Slippery Rock University in 1960. He completed his Master’s in education and curriculum development in 1983 from the University of Massachusetts. Patrick and Virginia moved to Northfield, Mass. in 1968 to teach and coach at the Northfield Mount Hermon Preparatory School. In 1995, the Mooneys returned to Pennsylvania. Patrick completed his stellar career at Clarion University. Patrick retired in 2005.
Patrick’s career included being the mathematics department head and math teacher at McKeesport School District in McKeesport. He was the Dean of Students, a math and physical education teacher, head coach of the men’s cross country and track teams, and the varsity women’s basketball coach at NMH. While at Clarion University, he became the first full time men’s and women’s cross country, indoor track and track and field coach. He was the United States National Women’s Lacrosse team strength and condition coach. This lacrosse team went on to win a world championship in Australia in 1989. His coaching philosophy could be considered basic in nature. He encouraged everyone to “show up every day, give it 100% and enjoy the things that you are doing.” Patrick was an accomplished coach, educator and a powerful mentor to countless students and athletes.
Patrick’s career is a litany of successes and accomplishments. His resume of success included a 77% winning record as a high school coach. Among other championship wins, he led the NMH boy’s cross country teams to the New England Prep School Championships and won 12 times. He has been inducted into five different Athletic Hall of Fames; the most recent Hall of Fame induction was at Clarion University in 2022. Patrick has lived an extraordinary life filled with love, adventure, laughter and learning. He leaves a legacy of compassion, respect and kindness that spans generations.
He is survived by his daughter, Bridget Mooney; two grandchildren, Jared Patrick David Doutt and his wife Danielle, and Jemma Rose Mooney Bryan; and a sister, Judith Sparlin and her husband Michael.
Patrick was preceded in death by his brother, David Mooney.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 15, 2023 from 6- 8 p.m. at the Baronick Funeral Home & Crematorium, Inc., 211 S. Main St., DuBois.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 16, 2023 at 11 a.m. from the funeral home with Pastor Terry Felt officiating.
Burial will be at Bradford Cemetery.
Memorials donations can be made to Clarion University Pat Mooney Cross Country/Track & Field Scholarship, 840 Wood St., Clarion, PA 16214; and/or Perseus House, 1511 Peach St., Erie, PA 16501
Online condolences can be made to www.baronickfuneralhome.com.
Submitted by Gene Ward: In the fall of our junior year, I was confined to a bed at Mass General Hospital for six weeks for a leg injury that wouldn’t heal. Patrick Mooney came every weekend to review my homework from the past week, and go through the next week’s lessons (in trig, I think). The lesson I took from those visits is something I took with me into my business life. Always do more than the other guy and you’ll do just fine.
A Tribute To Coach Patrick Mooney From Adam Thomson, one of his varsity runners in 1972 while attending Northfield Mount Hermon School,
Coach Patrick Mooney was the best cross country coach I have had during my years of running the distances and later on in my life. (Thanks to him I’ll never give up running distances, if the truth be known.) Cross Country Running Coach Patrick Mooney was always patient, kind, generous with his time and he knew how to get the best efforts from all of his cross country and track athletes. I can say I looked on him as a pseudo father during my one year at Northfield Mount Hermon. I wasn’t the fastest runner, but I did my best to give him and my running mates my all.
Let me tell two side stories about him, that have largely remained between he and I all these years. I at the age of about 15, had been expelled from Phillips Exeter Academy, because my girlfriend had become suicidal one night. The details aren’t important. Fortunately we saved her life before she was able to take it. A close college friend of my mother and father, was Jim MacLamore, the founder of Burger King. Jim MacLamore was on the Board of Directors for Northfield Mount Hermon, ended up vouching for my character and I was let in Northfield Mount Hermon School’s 11th grade class the fall of 1972 or 1973.
Coach Mooney, knew I loved cross country running over most everything in my life at the time. Fortunately, I made it into the Varsity Cross Country Team that fall and in a number of ways I see now that that singular event saved my life and gave me some semblance of direction in future years to come. My own father had died in a plane crash when I was three and a half years old, so I hadn’t had a lot of male parenting role models to look up to except my step father during my high school years. Coaches Patrick & Ginny Mooney believed in me, which at the time meant a lot to me, having gotten expelled from Exeter earlier that year.
Patrick & Ginny Mooney always treated me like family and embraced my efforts to do well on our cross country team. I learned a lot from them, about character, never giving up hope, running your heart out and about how to be a good citizen even if I wasn’t the “brightest Light in the Harbor”‘ shall we say. I saw what unfailing love they raised their daughter Bridget with. I had never seen a family’s true love for their daughter like I did when I saw Bridget in either the arms of Patrick or Ginny, or their taking her for walks around Northfield Mount Hermon. And that little Border Collie that they had that used to run our workouts with us. He had as much heart and intent as many of our other cross country runners. You could tell how he was also a member of the Mooney family.
I guess what I want to convey here is that the Mooney’s gave me a home ‘away from home’ while I was at Northfield Mount Hermon School, when I could have been instead living a constant pity party about having left Phillips Exeter Academy and I couldn’t tell anyone what had happened there. I remember how well our number one cross country runners Michael Antonio, Scott MacDonald, Frank Caldwell and the others took on the responsibility of representing NMH Cross-Country with such a feeling of pride. Michael Antonio, a fast Navaho runner, placed first in the Varsity Prep School New England Championships. Another runner, Frank Caldwell placed right up there with him. I went and visited Michael Antonio, years later in New Mexico. Michael and another member of our team were Navaho distance runners who ran and practiced their hearts out with us. God, what “heart and spirit” those Native American Indians contributed to our team of distance runners! They were always understated like Patrick & Ginny Mooney were about our running and their coaching abilities.
Last point, I tried to come back to run in the Northfield Mount Hermon Bemis Pie Race. I didn’t make it there in time to run in the race. Patrick Mooney told me later sheepishly I might add, that had I made it to the race, I would have been sharing a house with the NMH Alumni &Olympic Marathon Gold Medal winner Frank Shorter had I gotten to the house the day before the race. Man, am I sorry I didn’t make it there in time now. Water over the dam. In closing, I want to say in this commentary, tribute and eulogy to Patrick & Ginny Mooney was written on Sunday, June 11th, 2023. I learned today via email of Patrick’s passing earlier this morning.
Please Dear Friend & Coach Patrick Mooney, now rest in peace. You inspired generations of runners that will continue our craft, I hope into our old age. Patrick was 89 years old and I might have celebrated his 60th anniversary with Ginny this month. Coach Mooney 3 years ago commented to me when I was belly aching about “how tough life can be at my age.” He promptly put a quick end to my “poor little me” commentary, when he reassured me, “Adam, you are still young”, (I was age 66 at that time), “you’ve still got a lot of good years ahead of you.” And you know what, he was right!!! for correcting me and getting me out of my “p.l.m.” slump at that time.
Thank you Coach Patrick Mooney for showing me I still have a lot more good things to still live for these days. You and Ginny gave me hope and made me run my butt off for a cause greater than myself, the Northfield Mount Hermon School Varsity Cross Country Team of 1972. For that, I now hope I can someday return the favor and pass on that same spirit of Hope that you gave me, when I didn’t seem to have much reason to be overjoyed at that fact that I was above ground and breathing, on a bright sunny day. With that said, I am off to go run some loops at the Canton Recreational Park, here in Canton, North Carolina. Thank you Coach Patrick & Wife Ginny for giving us all good reasons to keep living the best life we can every day. Much Love & Gratitude For Teaching Me, That Now It Is Our Turn To Be Passing It Forward. Love Always to You and Yours, From Adam G. Thomson, the 3rd out of Canton, North Carolina, Northfield Mount Hermon’s Alumni Class of 1974″
Without Mr Mooney’s guidance and support while in Cottage 4 my freshman year I would never have continued at NMH. He was also the best cross country coach I was ever associated with
I didn’t know Patrick but I had his wife for Geometry. She was a favorite teacher of mine at Northfield. I’m glad to hear they led such a fulfilling life
I have fond memories of winter ( indoor) track, coached by Mr Mooney! running around the balcony track in the old gymnasium, the trip to (cigarette smoke filled) Boston Garden to run the mile relay on the wood track. I believe it was the independent school winter track championships. He treated us like family, drove us in his personal car. I felt really special. We didn’t place but Mr Mooney treated us all as if we had won. I still have my runner number. Participation, giving one’s best, the whole experience, feeling special and cared for- thats what I remember still, almost 53 years later.
Eric Baxter, ‘70