Peter Gerard Mooney

Peter was born on February 22, 1959 and diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth. Challenging the advice of specialists, Peter was raised at home by his parents. He thrived with his brothers and sister, along with the many neighbors and friends who treated him like family.

Peter grew up in Sparta on a dead-end street behind Pope John HS. He attended Sparta public schools and graduated Sparta HS in 1979. After school, he would walk down to Pope John to “practice” with the football teams. He was the unofficial mascot for PJ as well as the parking lot attendant at football games. Fans of Pope John looked forward to seeing Peter’s smiling face as he directed traffic at every PJ home game, never without his “police badge”. He was a hometown hero to all of the PJ family and was affectionately referred to as “Bub” by friends, teachers and students alike.

After graduation, to allow Peter to live his life to the fullest while still being somewhat independent, his parents became very involved with SCARC, which proved to be a Godsend to Peter and his family. In 1981, at the age of twenty-two, Peter moved into the Newton group home. He enjoyed forty years there until accessibility became an issue for Peter and he moved to the Hillside group home in 2021.

While in Newton, he worked The Fredon Employment Center, The Homestead, Shop Rite, Habitat for Humanity, SCARC Cleaning Crew, Harvest Home Foods-Hampton, SCARC Dolan Center and SCARC Dykstra Center.

Peter loved to eat, especially when those meals were shared around the table with his family. Some of his favorite foods were Mama Mooney’s homemade meatballs and spaghetti, Dunkin Donuts, hamburgers, coffee, ice cream and the turkey leg at Thanksgiving. One of his favorite days was his birthday and he would happily tell you it was 2-22. He looked forward to celebrating with his family. In his younger years Peter enjoyed participating in the Special Olympics and would proudly wear his medals after the events. More recently, he loved to bowl and participated in the league at Sparta Lanes.

Those blessed to have known Peter will never forget his smiling face and amazing hugs. The family has received so many kind words describing Peter, some of which include:

“Peter had the biggest heart and when you were around him, you knew you were loved unconditionally”

“Peter lit up the room and made everyone’s day better just by seeing him”

“Peter was one of the most incredible people I have had the pleasure of knowing and I cannot be more thankful for our paths to cross in this lifetime.”

“Peter was charming, friendly and had a great sense of humor. He enjoyed setting up his ‘office’, delivering mail, wearing his police badge, singing and socializing. Peter was a popular guy! Whether he was at a SCARC event or participating in a community activity, everyone knew Peter!”

“May we all be comforted knowing that someone so special will never be forgotten.”

“I didn’t know Peter for long but in the short period of time I did, he truly touched my heart, just as he has with everyone he met. He is a miracle and a gift for everyone he has interacted with. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to have spent time with him.”

From Megan MacMullin, CEO of SCARC “I consider each day spent with Peter to be a blessing. His smile. His humor. His joy. He loved his family, his friends, and his community. He will be deeply missed but we are ALL better to have known him. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the entire Mooney family and we will always be grateful to them for sharing Peter with us!”

Peter’s family is forever grateful to all of the wonderful caregivers who have nurtured him over the years. We feel truly blessed to have had so many kind, compassionate and selfless people in Peter’s and our lives.

Peter will be sorely missed by his siblings: Walter and his wife Karen of Houston, TX, Michael and his wife Barbara of Smyrna, DE and Marianne Mooney of Andover, his six nieces and nephews: Erin, Angela and her husband Robbie, Michelle and her husband Scott, Sarah and her husband Joe, Ryan and Sean and five great-nieces and nephews: Spencer, Harper, Dilynn, Kenna and Quinn. He will also be missed by many close friends, especially his “Buddy Bob” Fischer and Bruce Faison.

Peter is predeceased by his parents, Frank and Lorraine Mooney, his step mother Eileen Broesder Mooney and his namesake and favorite Uncle, Father Peter Holden.

Visitation will take place on Sunday, August 6th at Goble Funeral Home 22 Main St., Sparta, NJ from 1:00-5:00PM. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Monday at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Sparta at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at Immaculate Conception Cemetery 174 N Church Rd., Franklin, NJ.

To keep Peter’s legacy and love alive, please share the funniest memory you have with Peter on our website.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to: SCARC Guardianship Services, 11 US 206, Augusta, NJ 07822.

- EULOGY -

Thoughts About Peter —

I’m proud to say that I know I am the man that I am today because Peter has been my brother. I know that he shaped my life in ways I cannot define, and probably in ways I can’t even recognize. I know that I love my family as I do because Peter was my brother. I learned what love is from our parents and from my little brother.

I know that he shaped our entire family. I know that he touched the lives of countless people.

He never met anyone he didn’t like. Anyone. He didn’t know what hate is, didn’t know distrust. He only knew love. And I think that was his only way of seeing people because that’s all he ever got from us, and from just about everyone who knew him. Love. His heart was pure, in every respect, by any and every definition. Pure.

He didn’t know greed or possessing, he only knew sharing — except maybe when it came to food! He wasn’t about to share his food — he was going to eat it all anyway! And then ask for seconds! If he had shared, he might’ve had to have thirds. But, come to think of it, if you put a Caesar salad in front of him, he’d certainly share with you ALL the croutons in it — but not any of the salad! Croutons are the only thing I ever knew that he wouldn’t eat! I can’t think of anything else.

There are two songs that are in my head today, and have been for about a week. The first is George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass”. One of the verses goes like this.

“Sunrise doesn’t last all morning, a cloudburst doesn’t last all day, seems my love is up and has left you with no warning. It’s not always going to be this grey. All things must pass, all things must pass away.”

The second song was a big hit for an English rock/pop group, started in the early 60’s, called The Hollies. In 1969, they recorded a song called “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”. That song by The Hollies has been around for 54 years. And, I say this without exaggeration, every time I have heard that song over the last 54 years, I have thought of my brother, because that’s exactly how I’ve felt about him. The words are about him. Nothing about him was a burden. I’m sure my brother and sister feel the same way. It didn’t matter where I was or what I was doing, when I heard that song, I thought of Peter, and still do every time. I live 1800 miles away from him, so I haven’t been nearly as big a part of his day-to-day life as were Marianne or Michael, but that doesn’t mean the words of the song don’t ring true for me. He’s been a part of all my heartbeats since I was seven. The song goes like this:

The road is long

With many a winding turn

That leads us to who knows where

Who knows where

But I'm strong

Strong enough to carry him

He ain't heavy, he's my brother

So on we go

His welfare is of my concern

No burden is he to bear

We'll get there

For I know

He would not encumber me

He ain't heavy, he's my brother

If I'm laden at all

I'm laden with sadness

That everyone's heart

Isn't filled with the gladness

Of love for one another

It's a long, long road

From which there is no return

While we're on the way to there

Why not share

And the load

Doesn't weigh me down at all

He ain't heavy he's my brother

"By Walter Mooney"

Peter Mooney

August 7, 2023

“ May the angels lead you into paradise.

May the martyrs come to welcome you.

May choirs of angels welcome you.

Hasten to meet him, angels of the Lord”

We hear these words at every Liturgy of the Resurrection, but today they hold a special significance for, indeed, we are all here to witness an angel going back to God escorted by all the angels and martyrs in heaven. That is a pretty good escort for Peter, and I hope that we all are worthy someday to receive such an escort on our very last journey.

Condolences to all of Peter's family and friends who are gathered here to celebrate Peter Gerard Mooney's very significant life of 64 years on this earth and the great impact he had on people.

Condolences to Walter, Michael, and Marianne and their spouses and families, nieces and nephews who embraced this special human being, just as he embraced you since the day he was born.

Yes, Peter was quite an icon around Sparta for 64 years, but today is also about you - the Mooney family - because of the way Peter was loved and cared for every single day of his life. You were, as we say at Pope John, An Honor to the Father beginning with his parents, Frank and Lorraine; his siblings, Walter, Michael and Marianne; and his stepmother, Eileen. I am sure that it was not all peaches and cream as I once or twice saw Peter dig in his heels! (Peter, I know that you are listening, and should I say anything wrong, I know you will pull me over and give me a ticket - there would be no talking you out of it.)

I first met Peter in the fall of 1971 when I came to Sparta, and Peter's mom was secretary at this church, Our Lady of the Lake. Peter and I are both Pisces. I mentioned to Marianne the other day that I, too, had a special needs sister, in fact, a very special needs person, and God took her home 14 years ago. Sadly, when people are "different", there are times when people avoid them. Sometimes they are not welcome when they invade your space. The opposite was true of Peter.

People gravitated towards him. He was special, and God created him to be incredibly special - caring, loving, and without guile.

As humans, we all expect to bury our parents, but to lose a sibling is a punch in the gut, and we are never really ready for it. On the night before he died, Jesus said to the apostles, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." But right now, our hearts are troubled at the loss of someone special and a sibling. I think some of the most beautiful and consoling words Jesus said was that he was going ahead of us to prepare a room for us. That is kind of awesome - Jesus getting our room ready for us.

(Peter, did you hear that Jesus is getting your room ready? Yes, Peter, it will be different than a group home, and you will never have to leave it. It is yours for keeps!)

Pope John XXIII used to say that people who have passed from this life are not dead, they have gone home - just around the corner, they are waiting for you. Now, as we all know, Peter was very often waiting for us just around the corner at Pope John High School, hailing us down, wearing his police badge and stern face, and, if needs be, ready to give a ticket. On one particular afternoon, Father Joe Ryan pulled around the corner of the high school where Peter was there to greet him. Peter stopped the car, and Father Ryan asked Peter to check the back license plate first, which he did. Father Ryan pulled away leaving Peter very upset, and "very upset" was putting it mildly. Our beloved Peter gave Father Ryan directions out of the parking lot expressed by the middle fingers of both hands!

For many years, Pope John High School was Peter's home-away-from-home. He had free run of the place, never an annoyance or a nuisance - and I do not recall (at least, I never heard of) a single instance or incident with any PJ personnel or student giving him a hard time, but how could you?

The people of SCARC and the thousands of people in organizations across the country and across the world serving people with disabilities deserve special thanks and prayer. (Applause for all workers and caregivers who are present.) Of course, we have come a long way in our care, treatment, and understanding of people with disabilities, but as humans we do not understand the reasons for the differences between people, and, sadly, we cannot cope - we are human after all. It is easy to decide that most of us are what human beings should be and that there are a few who are so different that they must be called "deprived" and "handicapped". We speak more clearly than they are able, and we may walk or run faster than they are capable. We have full use of our limbs, while there are some without them.

Sadly, too, in this sometimes-macho world, it has taken us a long, long time to recognize the richness of life and the great and beautiful gifts given to us. Think of the phenomenal paintings down by the mouth, or the great achievements of Christy Brown, who only had the use of his left leg and typed so many of his novels with just his big toe on a typewriter.

One of his great novels was entitled My Left Foot. Christy was born in the slums of Dublin. He was quadriplegic. It was not so long ago that we believed that it was impossible for a person who was called handicapped to be a genius. Now, thank God, we have come to accept their abilities and appreciate all that they have to offer to all of us.

They keep our conscience clear and focused.

God would not have allowed us to be so different from each other unless there was some special wisdom - some immense gift - that would come to us. When the God of love creates us so different from each other, it is not because has made a mistake or because his creation has gone wrong.

When God looks on his whole creation, God still sees that it is good. There is no better example than Peter Mooney, who radiated love, and not only loved people, but who could forget his attachment to his little terrier, Woodie?

For a family with a child with disabilities, including my own family, there is always the fear that he or she might not live to a ripe old age. Only now, with all of the advanced care and knowledge, do we begin to realize how much we have lost and how blessed we were to have them with us at all, and I am sure that I speak not only for the Mooney family, but for all families who have a member with disabilities.

We remember the Last Supper when Jesus gave us himself in four gestures: he took bread, he blessed it, he broke it, and he gave it to his friends. Does that not find an echo in the long life of Peter? God gave Peter to us - and a real gift he was. He was broken in a sense - unable to partake in many of the usual things of childhood and adulthood, but he was blessed with a special ability to open our hearts. His blessing became our blessing, and we were better people because of him.

Peter was indeed given, broken, blessed, and now he is taken back by God.

Today we both mourn and rejoice. Perhaps it is not really for ourselves that we should mourn, but for those who never have had the chance of knowing a Peter. Today we pray in thanksgiving for Peter for in his short life the divine story was visible for all to see.

There is a beautiful saying that I use at all funerals: "Say not in grief that he is no more but in thankfulness that he was." Today we also have to recall the words of Simeon in scripture when he said that the child, Jesus, would be a contradiction.

And, this young man - Peter - who we honor and remember today was, indeed, a sign of contradiction:

o In a world of division, he held the open arms of acceptance.

o In a world of borders, he saw no lines of division.

o In a world of mistrust, he called everyone a friend.

o In an ugly and competitive world, he saw everyone as a fellow pilgrim.

In a world of ambition, he measured all by the heart and not the head.

There are many, many Peter stories. Father Gacquin told me that when Peter made his First Holy Communion, you could not find a communion card in any store in Sparta - they were all purchased for Peter. At his mother's funeral, Peter was the altar server dressed in his altar server robe, standing perfectly still, hands clasped, and, indeed, very, very angelic. As we know, he loved his time at PJ football practice, not to mention game day. If a ref made a bad call and Mr. Paternostro objected, Peter objected just as vehemently to the call. Of course, he - Peter - received his treat of a hotdog from Walter Lynch. And, on one very, very hot day in May, Father Gacquin was having a terrible day, and he was sitting on the back steps of the old gym when Peter arrived. They exchanged greetings to which Father Gacquin said, "Peter, those the most intelligent words I have heard all day"

I remember so clearly and cherish with all my heart that every Christmas Day and every Easter Sunday at approximately 2 p.m. the rectory doorbell would ring, and Peter would be there. This occurred before he went to the group home and when he came home from the group home - I guess for Christmas and Easter dinner with his family. Peter would come into the kitchen of the rectory, and I would give him two sodas and we would chat. He would stay no more than 20 minutes, and then he would get up and go to the phone to call and say that he was going home. I always asked him about Woodie, the family terrier, and Peter would put his hands up like this, and I knew that Woodie had gone to sleep and passed away.

Peter, you have led us all on a journey of love. We are so thankful for the gifts that you brought and shared with us all. We are indebted to your kindness, and while I know that the funeral ritual says, "May the angels lead you into heaven" I know that there is no need to say it (but if I don't, the powers-that-be may hear about my omission, and I will get into trouble!!)

Peter, you are now part of the hosts of angels, and you will be coming to escort all of us someday. Do not forget to come, get us, and escort us when the time is right - but not right now - give us another while.

Walter, Michael, and Marianne and the entire Mooney clan, thanks for sharing Peter with us and with the Pope John community. We were privileged to have known him, and he has made us a better community.

Homily by Father McHugh