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April 2, 1943 – June 26, 2024

It is with great sadness that the family of James Louis Moroney announces his passing on Wednesday, June 26, at the age of 81 years.  A visitation will be held from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m., Monday, July 1, 2024, at De Riso Funeral Home, 5012 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY.

Mr. Moroney, known to everyone as Jim, was born in Natchez, Mississippi on April 2, 1943, the son of Charles Louis Moroney and Jennie Elizabeth Reed Moroney.  He was educated in the Natchez Public Schools and graduated as part of “The Last Class” from Natchez High School at Margaret Martin in 1961.  He then proceeded to study fine art at Auburn University, graduating in 1965.  Jim then moved to Brooklyn, New York and attained his master’s degree in fine arts at Pratt Institute in 1967.  He then furthered his membership in the Pratt Institute community by becoming an associate and then full professor at Pratt.

As a professor at Pratt, Jim was loved by his students and fellow faculty members as he had a very relaxed teaching style and a rather hilarious wit.  Always quick with a joke or funny comment, it was hard not to smile when Jim Moroney was in the room.  Jim taught the art and love of print making, etching and engraving, and lithography to many students over the course of his career and retired from Pratt in 2009.

Jim also practiced his art on his own for many years while in Brooklyn, participating in many competitive shows, and placing many of his works in private collections. His specialty was creating interesting three-dimensional objects onto which he would shine a light source, then draw the resulting image with charcoal or charcoal pencil.  He could then make prints of the resulting piece for distribution or sale.  Many said these prints looked more like black and white photographs than drawings.

Although Jim and Judy lived in Brooklyn for so many years, he never lost his love for his hometown of Natchez.  He loved traveling, particularly to Spain, but always loved his trips home to Natchez to visit family and his great childhood friends Stuart Hudnall, Donald Estes, Jimmy Guercio and others. On the trips when he drove, he’d always take time to go through Tennessee to see his old friend Joe Mangin as well. He valued his friends and family and made sure they all knew it.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, his older brothers Charles and Richard, and his sister-in-law Patricia.

Survivors include his wife of almost 52 years Judy Moroney of Brooklyn, NY; his nephews Ross Brady Moroney of Irving, TX, Curtis Lee Moroney of Natchez, MS, Richard Lee Moroney of Huntsville, AL, nieces Kari Suzanne McKee and her husband Sean of Tulsa, OK, Jennie Elizabeth Moroney of Houston, Tx, Anna Patrice Moroney Garcia and husband Roy of Houston, TX, and Cris Louise Moroney Hughes and husband Jay of Oxford, MS.