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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
3 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....... Leave a Reply. |
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