Robert 'Robby' Merle Mahoney

MASON CITY: Robert “Robby” Merle Mahoney, 22, of Mason City, died Sunday, July 6, 2014 at home. Memorial services will be held 10:30 AM Friday, July 11, 2014 at St. James Lutheran Church, 1148 – 4th Street SE with Rev. John “Jack” Gannett officiating. Private family inurnment will take place in Elmwood St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 to 8:00 PM Thursday at St. James Lutheran Church, 1148 – 4th Street SE. Memorials may be directed to the Robby Mahoney Memorial Fund. Robby was born on August 20th of 1991 in Honolulu, Hawaii and went home to 380 Kaelepulu Drive in the small enclave of Lanikai, Hawaii. Three days later he had to go back to the hospital and stayed for a week in an incubator because he had RSV and could not breathe. He moved to Iowa with his parents in the same year and grew up in Mason City. The RSV complicated his life. He was very susceptible to respiratory illness, asthma, and allergies. He was often at the doctors office and even in the hospital. You would not know he was sickly because he overcame his breathing difficulties. He ran ten miles on July 4th, and July 5th he ran six miles. In the evening he had a fever. His friends were going out and wanted him to go but he decided to stay home and go to sleep. He took Tylenol and his fever went down and he went to bed. He had been infected with a strain of pneumonia against which his body, with it’s compromised immune system, had no defense. During the night his lungs filled up and he died peacefully in his sleep sometime early in the morning on Sunday July 6th. He was an excellent athlete and played baseball, hockey, tennis, ran track, and was willing for almost any game. His passion was hockey and he played for The Mohawk Hockey Club through high school, with an inhaler on the bench, and he loved the game. In high school he rarely brought any work home. He was efficient and smart enough to do almost all his work in school and after school he played sports, practiced sports, hung out, and had a lot of laughs and friends. Robby was charismatic and drew people without any effort. He was always at or near the center of whatever activity was occurring. He had layers and layers of friends. He was generous, kind, thoughtful, energetic, and fun. If you look at his Facebook page you will see an outpouring of love, grief, and shock. If you don’t use Facebook listen to what the “kids” have to say, ask someone who knew him what he was like. He attended Mason City High School and graduated in 2010. He was entering his senior year at the University of Iowa where he was majoring in Sports Management. He is survived by his sister, Erin Irene Mahoney; mother, Pamela Sue Harris; father, Paul E. Mahoney, (Victoria Dunlap); step family, Jeffrey Hain, Mitch, Clint, and Laurel Hain; “Grampa” Merle Harris; “Gramma” Beverly Harris; grandmother, “Honi” Irene J. Mahoney; aunt and uncle, Patti and Tom Wetter; cousins, Jenny and Sam; out of town uncles, Brian, Rob, Rick, and Alan Mahoney; He also had an extended family of aunts and cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Robert Mahoney. He was a good kid.

Visitation:
St. James Lutheran Church