In Memory

Tim Cooney

Tim Cooney, 75, passed away on July 16 after a 19-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Tim lived a life full of love and laughter with his family and friends. He was a friend to all and will be greatly missed. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11am on Friday, July 19, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 2926 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines, IA. Visitation will begin at 9:30am at the Church prior to the service. A luncheon will follow.

Tim was born to James B. and Patricia (Harvey) Cooney in 1948 and grew up in Beaverdale with his 5 siblings. Tim was a life-long member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church and graduated from Dowling Catholic High School in 1967. He then graduated from Rockhurst University in Kansas City and began a long, successful career in various sales and management roles.

Tim married Teresa Lehman in 1973 and they had 4 children. They divorced and in 1989 he married his partner for life, Sandra Sykes Cooney. They had one son and spent many happy years in Beaverdale where Tim was active in church and school activities including Boy Scouts and Knights of Columbus. Tim was very proud of his Irish heritage and was a member of numerous related organizations including the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and the Celtic Music Association. He served as President of both organizations for one year. He also was a long-time member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Tim formed many strong friendships and enjoyed sharing time with family and friends playing golf, fishing, boating, throwing darts or just discussing life over a cold beverage. After retirement Tim and Sandy enjoyed spending winters in Green Valley, AZ playing lots of golf, hiking and socializing with friends both old and new.

Tim is survived by his loving family: wife Sandy, children: Trina (Matt), Patrick, Timothy J., Breda (Tony) and William (Jamie) as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings Kevin (Mollie), Brian (Janice), Mike (Tomi), Kitty and sister-in-law Sue as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Mary Kate.

Tim suggests flowers be given to someone in need. Memorials are suggested to Holy Trinity Catholic Church PATCH program, the DMARC Food Pantry or Border Community Alliance in Tubac, AZ.

Tim’s service will be live streamed on the Iles website. Go to www.ilescares.com just before 11:00am Friday and scroll to the bottom of his obituary for the link to join the service. 

To send flowers or a remembrance gift to the family of Timothy Cooney, please visit our Tribute Store.

https://www.ilesfuneralhomes.com/obituary/Timothy-D.-Cooney/Polk-City-Iowa/1892383


 
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07/18/24 12:17 PM #1    

Greg Ortale

So sorry to learn of Tim's passing. He was a good high school friend, as were many of the my classmates from Holy Trinity.  It is sad to "catch up" with classmate friends in "In Memory".  

I wish all of Tim's family peace and comfort.  May the tears of the moment quickly pass into the smiles from memories.  

07/18/24 12:24 PM #2    

Joseph Kelly

Tim was a wonderful classmate. Smart and funny. Rest in peace.  Joe Kelly 

07/21/24 10:06 AM #3    

Kathy McCormick (Maddox)

I was so sorry to hear this sad news about a fellow 1967 classmate. Prayers are with the family.

07/21/24 10:57 AM #4    

Jack Lipovac

Alex Nijs asked me to post the following letter:

Dear Tim, my special friend for life AND after.

We were made brothers ,thanks to your great Irish Cooney clan and the YFU organisation.

It must have been pretty difficult to get a strange goofy, crazy Dutch boy in your personal life.

Suddenly sharing a doubledeck bed and  bedroom, same Dowling school, same friends etc etc.

Luckely we bonded quickly, also due to all your friends, male and female but even more to our mutual interest in all the things highschool boys do. Not going into details of course. Most of those actions you and me do NOT recommend any youngsters present.

Your name lives on in Holland, my son is called Xander Timothy and your daughter Breda is called after my town of birth in the Netherlands reminding us of your first visit to Elly and me in Tholen, a Little fishing town on an island nearby, is used in naming a Cooney boy.

Our lives kept close thanks to my many visits to Des Moines and our trip into France to Nampont my holliday camp next to the 2 golfcourses we played with friends and french locals.

Golfcourses with yellow flowers as” out of bounce’ with  storks in the sky and big french rats in the many lakes and river in and around the holes.

We always ended up in the local restaurant, le Contrebandier, eating grilled big steakes swallowed with french wine making us happy, full of laughter and not at least,  gave us big headaches the morning after. You loved that trip with also a real sailing trip in full storm on the Northsea.

I will name some thoughts and names that remind me of you and me:

Dowling / father Bacon /Dahl’s /Beaverdale park / Henry’s /Mike Hullahan / Troy Leason/ Casey girls / the Pizza hut / Onion ring / art centre / the blue little french car with a Duck glued on top.

The music like Bernadette from the 4 tops, the beachboys and the doors.

Many FBI basement parties at friends homes whose parents were gone , our trip to lake Okabogie, and later with our kids to lake Dillon and skiing with Roger Hein in Colorado. Playing golf with Sandy and you on my later visits with Josine to Polk city.

Later in the years that came our hobbies had simularities, Golf -Fishing -Irish music and jokes, more so Belgian beers and whiskeys.

Timmy boy, I will miss your late ( time difference 7 hours } telephone calls when your basement thoughts were in Europe on all the things and actions mentioned earlier.

I hope you lived life in full and in peace together with your Sandy and Cooney gang.

My thoughts are over there with all present. 

 

Love you Tim. Your Dutch Cooney brother.

 

PS. If possible, use your connections up there to help me make another hole in one soon….

 

07/21/24 03:54 PM #5    

Tom Bean

So very sorry to learn that Tim has passed away. My condolences to Sandy, Bill and all of his large family and many friends.
 
Tim and I were friends since kindergarten at Byron Rice school, then during our eight years at Holy Trinity and four at Dowling. Following college, we teamed up for an epic three month trip to Europe with the first stop being the quiet Dutch village of Tholen where Alex Nijs welcomed us like family.
 
That was in spring of 1972, but we’ve kept in touch over the decades since.  Whenever I was visiting family in Des Moines, I hoped to meet up with Tim. It was always wonderful to be greeted with his warm smile and then effortlessly drop into easy and often humorous conversations about his family, our shared old friends and goings on in Des Moines, especially in Beaverdale.
 
As boys, we had some great and formative adventures together, usually involving fishing. There was a bike ride to Dale Maffitt Reservoir with fishing rods tied to handle bars and an army blanket so we could spend the night. Then an overly ambitious canoe adventure from Ledges State Park to Des Moines, before Saylorville Lake. Such trips were so essential for me in imagining a life in the great outdoors. Tim was the perfect partner on these trips that I believe changed my life.
 
Our last visit was in March 2022, when Tim and Sandy had my wife Susan and I for dinner in their home in Green Valley, AZ. Sandy was just coming home after an evening performing as a member of the Community Choir. Tim was grilling steaks and telling us about his plan to climb a mountain with a local hiking group. They were certainly making the most out of their life in retirement.
 
I'll always remember Tim, and be thankful for his 70 years of friendship.
 
Sorry I could not attend his service on Friday, but I much appreciate that the video was available to view  
 
Peace and Blessings  Tom Bean

07/22/24 03:52 PM #6    

Dennis O'Grady

God bless my fine friend and classmate and prayers for him and families

07/22/24 05:05 PM #7    

Matthew McNerney

 

I was sad to hear of Tim's passing and his illness. I met Tim at Dowling freshman year and we bonded almost immediately, played football together, partied, laughed and got in a bit of trouble. We ended up at Rockhurst College together and would drive home together on school holidays. I actually sold Tim my convertible car when I left for a junior year abroad, only to return and learn that Tim had totaled it. 😪 I never did get the final details out of him.
The summer before our senior year we took a "road trip". One day midweek Tim called and said that there was a big rock concert in Wadena that weekend and that we should go! So we did and of course I had to drive because Tim no longer had a car 🚗. So we bought Dinty Moore beef stew in cans and two cases of beer and we were on our way. We got within a few miles of the site and had to walk from there. Two cases of beer start to get very heavy after a mile or so. But we were walking by a farm house and a young boy was in the yard with his American Flyer wagon. We negotiated hard and agreed to rent the wagon from the boy for 5 dollars. OMG what a difference. We practically flew into the center of the gathering and then began to wonder how we would find our friends. Remember this was a time before cell phones. Suddenly we hear (from the depths of the pup tent that we were standing in front of) shouts of  "McNerney" "Cooney" and out crawls our former HS colleague Brian Connolly (who I think was just back from Vietnam) and we had a great party over the three days. And yes we returned the little red wagon to its owner.

that was just one of the adventures that Tim and I enjoyed together. When he and I would go out for a night on the town, our  parents would shake their heads and wonder what mischief we would find ourselves in this time. Of course Tim's parents always blamed me for the trouble we caused and conversely my parents blamed Tim.
After college Tim and I drifted apart as I moved away to the east coast and we lost touch. But his passing revived many strong memories and I miss you friend

Matt McNerney 

 

07/23/24 10:35 AM #8    

Frank Vito

 I was sorry to hear about Tim. He was such a great guy. I always enjoyed stopping in his bar on Beaver and running into a few former Dowling alumni. I got to know Tim better during my time teaching at Holy Trinity. It was such a pleasure to have his daughter Trina in my class. 
God bless all his family and friends! RIP 

PS. Matt I really enjoyed your adventure to the Wadena concert!

07/24/24 09:11 AM #9    

Chris Eoriatti (Christy)

I didn't know Tim, but these stories are great. RIP Tim

07/24/24 03:27 PM #10    

Fred Weiler

Sorry to hear about Tim's passing. I also was raised in the Beaverdale area, went to Byron Rice, Holy Trinity, and Dowling with Tim. Sad that our numbers are shrinking. I see Tom Bean made a comment, I did run around him at times. Where did all that time go. RIP Tim

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