Mr. James Edward Rooney

James Edward “Ed” Rooney was born April 13, 1938. He grew up in Pennsylvania where he had his 4 sons, Bill, Rick, Bryant, and Jamie. He said raising those 4, there was never a dull moment. They would shoot arrows into the air, and wait to see who got hit when they came down! Eventually Ed moved away from the cold, down to sunny West Palm Beach, FL where he met the love of his life, Carole. Ed and Carole were two peas in a pod, inseparable from the start. When Ed got his first date with Carole, they were supposed to go out for BBQ. But when Carole was watching her 2 year old granddaughter Carolyn instead for the weekend, Ed said that was perfectly fine, and she could just come with them. The 3 of them went out together for baby back ribs, with little Carolyn sitting in between them in the highchair. Once Ed & Carole wed, Ed inherited two more children, Chuck and Comella. Years later, Ed decided to start his own business, so he and Carole traveled all over the country visiting many places for work, but always returning down to South Florida to see their family and friends. Along the way, their route usually included a stop to one of their favorite places, Biloxi. Ed loved the lifestyle that Biloxi provided… the good eatin’ – especially going out for crab legs, and fun times winning in the casinos. In fact, he loved the casinos so much, that he got a job at Hard Rock Casino as the head carpenter where he worked for over a decade until the pandemic hit. He was affectionately known as “Mr. Ed” to all his co-workers, and took pride in building the casino’s annual holiday displays for all the guests and children to enjoy. When you leave this life, what will you be known and remembered for? Ed will be remembered for enjoying his passions in life and his dedication to his wife, Carole. Ed enjoyed life’s hard work – he could never sit still but had to be building, fixing, or tinkering with something. He loved to be outside in the hot sun with a bandana on… mowing the grass or planting & tending to the beautiful garden he grew from scratch. And not just flowers, but Ed grew produce in every season… one of the favorite family pastimes was canning the dozens of fruits and vegetables he grew with his wife and sister in law, which was usually a 3-4 day occasion. If you ever did find Ed taking it easy, you know he would be watching a good Western on TV… John Wayne was his favorite. Ed and Carole have resided next to daughter Comella and their beloved son-in-law Daryn in Biloxi for the last 15 years. Ed was blessed with having a beautiful, large family who loved him very much including his wife, Carole, 6 children – Bill, Rick, Bryant, Jamie, Comella, and Chuck; 7 grandchildren - Carolyn, Katie, Jonathan, Josh, Leo, Sydney, Mitchell; and 4 great – grandchildren, Hunter, Siena, Kelsey Rose, and Charlie. Ed’s family will miss him very much – as a husband, father, Papa, Uncle, and friend

Mr. James Edward Rooney

April 13, 1938 - December 15, 2023