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John J. Roney | Sales manager, 88

John J. Roney, 88, formerly of Havertown, a retired sales manager and father of 10, died Tuesday from a subdural hematoma at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

John J. Roney
John J. RoneyRead more

John J. Roney, 88, formerly of Havertown, a retired sales manager and father of 10, died Tuesday from a subdural hematoma at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

Mr. Roney sold insulation door to door and was a truck dispatcher before joining the sales staff of the trucking firm Werner Enterprises in 1955. He retired in 1980. He was a former director of the Traffic and Transportation Club of Philadelphia and was past president of the Wilmington Traffic Club. For more than 20 years, Mr. Roney served on the Upper Darby Township Zoning Hearing Board and was chairman when he retired in 1998.

A graduate of West Philadelphia Catholic High School, he clerked for a maritime firm and then was crane operator before serving in the Army during World War II. His division fought with the Marines in the bloody battle of Peleliu in the Western Pacific in fall of 1944. Mr. Roney was given an honorary membership in the Marine Corps League in 2001.

He enjoyed weekly breakfasts at McDonald's with other World War II veterans, his daughter Eileen Chillemi said. The men were videotaped sharing their memories with high school students several years ago.

Since 1948, Mr. Roney had been married to Anna Sheeran Roney. The couple lived in West Philadelphia and Drexel Hill before moving to Havertown in 1963. Recently they moved to Holy Family Home in Philadelphia.

Mr. Roney was a caring father who read fairy tales to his children, his daughter said, and led sing-alongs on family trips. He was a passionate Notre Dame football fan.

In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Roney is survived by daughters Noreen Conley, Ann Marie Power, Jacquelyn Mack, Margaret Harrison, Susan Klein, Denise McGonigal, and Kathleen; sons John and Stephen; a brother; a sister; and 21 grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Sacred Heart Church, Manoa and Shelbourne Roads, Havertown. Friends may call from 9 to 9:30 a.m. tomorrow and from 6:30 to 9 p.m. today at O'Leary Funeral Home, 640 E. Springfield Rd., Springfield. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Yeadon.