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WEBMASTER'S NOTE: This blog entry takes the place of the former page dedicated to the Looney Rooney legend. For three years, we have been trying to get the true story about this legend, without much success. When we are able to get the definitive story, we will post a new page about it. In the meantime, these are some of the recollections gathered for the site in 2014.
- KEVIN HARRISON Webmaster "On Grosse Ile, there was a hermit who lived in an old house without electricity. People would go to his house, park in the driveway and he would come out and tell stories about 'The Old Days.' His name was Looney Rooney. The house was hidden down a dark, unlit road and he was supposed to have always fired several shots into the air, to show that he did not want any troublemakers, as your car approached." - JAMES T. CALLOW Folklore Archive "The old eccentric... was Din Rooney, and I hope we will hear a lot about him. I knew him fairly well, and he was a remarkable, intelligent man, especially interesting if you were keen on local Indian history as I was. I think there was a time when a lot of young people on GI (Grosse Ile) spent time with him. I have a photograph of him taken by Pat O'Connor, not all that long ago, when Din must have been at the end of his days, maybe 100 years old. He lived in a 19th century derelict house, no heat, water or plumbing, was kind of a health nut, drank out of the Detroit River all his life. - TOM MCGUANE Grosse Ile Memories Blog "Yes, a lot of young people spent time at his house. He was eccentric, to say the least. A little nutty--hence his nickname in the 60s: 'Looney Rooney'. He would welcome us in for a tour of the old big house at night, in the dark, walking with a flashlight. The highlight was the skeleton of his wife, which was an old bra and girdle resting in a rocking chair. I still remember being scared but I suspect he had the last laugh." - BARBARA PACIEJEWSKI "I lived on Grosse Isle from 1945 to 1951, so I was a little kid when I would “run away from home” on my bike down Parke Lane towards Den's incredible Victorian (as I remember it) many, many a time. Den was a kind and wise man. During the winters, he'd sweep the snow off the river for the kids to ice skate on. There would be a little fire crackling, and he'd give us hot cocoa to warm ourselves up. In finer weather, when I was upset, what I needed to do, he'd say, was climb the huge cherry tree and pick (and eat) as many as I could gather. That's what I needed to do to feel better: pick the fruit off the trees, the cherry, mulberry, maybe peaches too and sure enough, it worked. Other times, he'd pass me notes from the ground floor up the dumbwaiter instructing me to go find some knick-knack or other, and send it back down. He'd also ask us to write our names down on slips of paper, and tuck them under any of the wonderful curios and antiques we would like to have after he dies. Only years later, when I lived in New York and first stepped into Tiffany's on 5th Avenue, did I realize how some of those lamp shades, vases, and other items could well have been a Tiffany or Lalique or the like. I loved Den. I'm 81 and I think of him often. He was a gift in my life. Calling this incredible man, this wonderful character “Looney” is just another sad example of how people treat the memory of someone who doesn't conform to a narrow-minded norm. - SCARLET COLSEN (aka Charlotte Kar)
7 Comments
Rick Arms
1/26/2017 08:16:57 am
In the mid 1950's myself and a couple of friends would ride our bicycles over to visit Din and listen to yarns as my Mother had also done in the late 1930's. Din had a collection on wooden deck chairs from the Bob-lo boat that had been thrown overboard and floated to his Beach. I also remember listening to his crystal radio since it needed no electricity. And as Tom mentioned he did drink out of the Detroit River in the days it wasn't even a good idea to swim in it. He was quite the character. 4/20/2017 10:29:03 am
There was an article in the Trenton Trib by Frank Kootsillas who sounded like he knew Din Rooney. Din did not like being called "Looney Rooney" and that title appeared when young vandals started to disrepect his property. He sounded like very intelligent person just misunderstoond because he didn't live up to our standards. Frank seemed to know alot about Din and the last time he saw Din was in June of 1960.
Tom Dainty
5/7/2017 09:50:11 pm
Dan Rooney lived in the old Fisher House. He explained that to us in the early 60s. His home was right on the Detroit River and we used to sit by it and chat. He was quite eccentric, but he was fun to listen to and hear his tall tales. He had a Memorial in his front yard to the men killed in the War who were from Grosse Isle. . But we used to think he buried his wife there and we told our girlfriends that story to scare them. I think we were the Loony ones.......
Dave Whitwam
1/6/2020 10:12:04 pm
In the 50's and 60's my dad worked for the Wayne Co Road Comm ( one of his job assignments was maintaining the roads on Grosse Ile ) He became friends with Dan and visited him ever so often ! I think it was 1960 he took me over there and I remember it was cold outside and we went inside and he lived primarily in the kitchen because he heated it with a wood cook stove and he was cooking a pot of soup on the wood stove ! He lived very simple with the bare necessities in this big old house way back in the thicket of trees and I remember I got a simple tour of the house in the daylight and it seemed mysterious and almost haunted and I remember the rocking chair with the girdle and an old bra which was kind of shocking and he described it as a remains of his wife ! I'm hoping somebody has a photo of that rocking chair because I think I may have it at my house and I'm thinking about donating it to the historical museum in Grosse Ile ! My dad acquired the rocking chair and it needed some repair (which in later years I restored it )when my dad passed away in 1996 I acquired the rocking chair knowing it was from Dan Rooney's house ! I was 19 when I met Dan Rooney I'm 79 years old now and I think I'm ready to give up Dan's rocking chair and I would like to donate it to the historical museum so others can enjoy it and maybe tell share stories about Dan Rooney ! I also remembered dating a girl and I drove from Gibraltar with a carload with her friends and we pulled up in his driveway and he came out of the bushes and they all screamed and I backed out of there because the girls were breaking my eardrums ! I've told those stories over the years but nobody has ever heard of Dan Rooney until this website but I hope somebody remembers the rocking chair because I really think I could have it ! Oh and one of those girls that was with me that screamed the loudest I ended up marrying and having three children by !
Donna Lamore
3/3/2020 02:14:33 pm
I think this was my great great uncle Den I have a couple pieces of furniture from him that my grandma let me ! My dad is buried right net to my great great uncle
Paul Dopulos
1/26/2020 11:49:28 pm
I used to walk by his house on my way home from Sacred Heart grade school. The house itself was very impressive and had a huge mulberry tree in front we would climb up into it and eat the berries. Sometimes he would come out and chase us away but not usually. I did get a quick tour of the house and what I remember is random stacks of magazines most notably National Geographic’s that we’re very old from the 20’s and 30’s just strewn around the house
Donna Lamore
3/3/2020 05:19:18 pm
I think this was my great great uncle Den would love to see any pictures of him and his house . Leave a Reply. |
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