Rodney Jon “Rod” Rooney, passed away Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 at Satanta District Hospital in Satanta. He was born on Oct. 31, 1951 to Reba Etta (Shank) and John Whitt Rooney in Hugoton. 
Rod spent his life defining what it truly means to be adventurous, resilient, and dedicated. His love for life was as vast and as varied as the landscapes he traversed, from his birthplace in Kansas to the rugged wilderness of Alaska, and eventually back to his home in Satanta.
Rod was a man of many talents and passions. After graduating from Marmaton Valley High School in 1969, he attended Seward County Community College and Fort Hays State University.
His love for adventure led him to Alaska, where he embraced a new job as a truck driver, later working as a deckhand on crabbing and fishing boats. His experiences in Alaska, though challenging, were a testament to his adventurous spirit. Rod’s career journey also saw him serving as a meat cutter, managing several meat markets, and eventually moving to Satanta, where he would retire from Haskell County Road and Bridge as a road grader operator.
Rod’s sense of curiosity was not just seen in his career, but also in his hobbies. Rod had a love for fishing, hunting, hotrods, gun collecting, ice racing, and snow machining. He was a dedicated outdoorsman, his adventurous spirit always leading him to new experiences.
Rod is survived by his sister, Vickie Rooney McDonald Winans and husband Gary; his nephews, Joel Strader and wife Tracy, Stephen Strader, Sean McDonald and wife Traci, and Matthew McDonald and wife Amy. He is preceded in death by his parents, John and Reba Rooney.
There will be no viewing as cremation has taken place.
A graveside service will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023 at Old Elsmore Cemetery, Elsmore.
Cremation was entrusted to Weeks Family Funeral Home and Crematory of Sublette.
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