The team and the NFL issued statements lamenting Patricia’s sensitive death
PITTSBURGH – Patricia Rooney, wife of the victim president of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dan Rooney, died at the age of 88.
The Steelers reported that Patricia Rooney died peacefully at her home on Saturday. The cause of death was not mentioned.
Dan Rooney, who died in April 2017, served as U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012.
“My family and I are mourning the death of my mother, Patricia,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “She helped raise nine children while supporting my father’s career with the Steelers and his time as ambassador to Ireland. It’s a sad day for our family.”
Art Rooney said his mother devoted much of her time to the Pittsburgh community and “left a lasting impression on so many people and organizations in our area, especially the Salvation Army,” and many other groups in the north side of Pittsburgh, where his parents lived.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and his wife said in a statement that Patricia Rooney represented her already Steelers family with “extraordinary grace, dignity and integrity.”
Goodell’s statement reads: “Patricia was passionately dedicated to her faith, the wonderful family she and Dan raised and adored, the Pittsburgh community and the Steelers organization. She was also a fan of the ‘most passionate American football you could ever meet.’
Funeral arrangements are private.
“We will celebrate her life and the memories we have of her during this difficult time for our family,” Art Rooney noted. “We appreciate everyone with their thoughts and prayers.”