EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Sweeney family grand marshalls of 2009
Heppner St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
continued from page 1
operated the Model Billiards
hall in Helena. Cornelius re
ceived a land grant from the
railroad and started a ranch
near Winston, MT.
Patrick Michael was
a stone contractor in Helena.
While building his ranch,
Cornelius worked w ith Pat
rick on many early Helena
buildings. Patrick Michael
and Mary had three chil
dren, Patrick Jerome, James
and Charles. Patrick M i
chael was very active in the
Catholic Knights o f Amer
ica, having been a found
ing member of the Helena
branch. Patrick M ichael
died after a wagon accident
in 1892 while helping build
a Catholic church in Helena.
Cornelius then helped raise
Patrick M ichael's children
on the ranch near Winston.
Many relatives still remain
in Montana.
P at's grandfather,
Dr. Patrick Jerome Sweeney,
left the Sweeney ranch in
Winston in 1910 to attend
the M ontana S chool o f
M ines. He then w ent to
Chicago where he graduated
from the Loyola College
o f Dentistry. He returned
to Montana and opened a
dental practice in Butte in
1917. He spent many years
on the Montana State Board
o f Dental Examiners. He
was active in political af
fairs and was appointed
to the first Montana State
Parks Commission in 1935.
His lifelong interest in min
ing continued and he was
involved in various mining
interests including White’s
Gulch and the Sw eeney-
Hopkins mine in Superior,
MT. He moved his dental
practice to Red Lodge, MT
in 1920. He then relocated
to Fort Benton in 1929. Fol
lowing his retirement in Fort
Benton in 1953, he moved
to Whitefish Lake. In 1965
he m oved to H eppner to
be closer to his family. He
passed away in 1969 and is
buried in Heppner Masonic
Cemetery.
Pat’s father, Jerome
"Jerry,” was born at Red
Lodge in 1923. He missed
being named Patrick because
an older sibling had already
been given the name. Je
rome joined the Army in
1941 and fought with the
101st infantry division. He
was wounded on the front
lines in Germany. Upon re
turning to Montana, he met
an Army nurse at the Fort
Harrison Veteran’s Hospital,
Olive Virginia "Tiny” Har
ris. They married in 1948 in
Butte, MT.
Jerom e worked as
funeral director in Butte,
MT for many years before
moving to Oregon in 1958.
The family lived in Ontario
and Grants Pass before pur
chasing the m ortuary in
Heppner in 1964.
Jerom e served for
many years as m ayor o f
Heppner, as well as on the
city council and planning
commission. He retired in
1982 and moved to Portland.
He passed away in 1990.
Tiny Sweeney was a Mor
row County Public Health
nurse for a number o f years.
She passed away in 1975.
They are both buried in Hep
pner Masonic Cemetery.
Pat was one o f six
children. Michael J., who
passed away September 20,
2008, was bom in Chicago
while Jerome was attending
M ortuary C ollege there.
Patrick W„ Kathleen Ann,
and Daniel Joseph were all
bom in Butte, MT, and Brian
and Gregory were bom in
Oregon. Kathleen, Daniel,
Brian and Gregory now re
side in the Portland area.
Pat followed in his
father’s footsteps as a fu
neral director, purchasing
the mortuary in Condon in
1978, and later purchasing
the Heppner mortuary from
his father in 1981. He and
his wife, Trisha, currently
run both mortuaries under
the name Sweeney Mortu
ary.
Pat and Trisha have
four children: Corey Patrick
and his wife Brandi, Nicole
Coe and her husband Scott,
Cameron Ryan and his wife
Stefanie, and Brooke Marie,
all o f Heppner. They also
have four grandchildren,
Kane Patrick and Jorden
Michael Sweeney, and Drew
M atthew and Jace Ryan
Coe.
Pat enjoys collecting
Heppner memorabilia. He
has numerous items from
before, during and after the
flood. Along with a great
sense o f humo», the "fishin’
mortician” loves steelhead
fishing. But more than these
hobbies, Pat loves his grand-
kids. "They are what make
me breathe,” he said.
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