Paul William Looney

Paul William Looney, 83, of North Haven, CT passed away peacefully at his home on Friday, January 16, 2026 surrounded by his loving family.

Paul was born in Brooklyn, NY on October 26, 1942. He was raised in Port Washington, NY, and Guilford, CT, before moving to New Haven in 1950. He attended St. Francis School and St. Mary High School and later graduated from Wilbur Cross High School.

In July 1961, Paul proudly enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving until February, 1965. He was stationed in Guam during his military service. After his discharge, Paul moved to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, in 1965. Upon returning home, he worked as a firefighter at Winchester Repeating Arms Co.

In 1967, Paul began his long and distinguished career with the New Haven Fire Department. Throughout his career, he worked at every fire station in New Haven and retired in 1997. Following retirement, Paul integrated his firefighting experience with his aviation passion and became an ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting) consultant and worked with Crash Rescue in Dallas. He later became Chairman of the ARFF Working Group, serving both nationally and internationally. He also worked for New England Fire Equipment, North Haven.

Paul conducted seminars and training for the ARFF Working Group across the United States and abroad. His final major training classes were held in Libya, Argentina and Chile. These were proud and treasured highlights of his career. He worked tirelessly for the safety of others.

Paul is survived by his devoted wife, Bernice Looney, with whom he shared 48 years of marriage. He was the son of the late Francis W. Looney and Frances Richardson Looney.

Paul will be lovingly missed by his daughter Hope E. Looney of East Haven and his beloved son, Paul W. Looney, II of North Haven. His children were the love of his life.

He is also survived by his sister, Hope Richardson Troy (Phil); his nephews, Alexander and Joseph Troy; and his grandnephews, Liam and Finn Troy.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to his sister-in-law, Rosemarie V. Bradley, for her unwavering support during Paul’s illness. He is also survived by his nieces, Teresa Jackson (Jason and Tayah) and Rosemarie Hurley (Curtis), as well as his many first cousins of the Richardson clan in Branford, Naugatuck, Massachusetts, Virginia, Illinois, Arizona and Texas.

Paul, his wife, and family spent much of their time traveling, including New Zealand. One of their most memorable and cherished trips was visiting Cuba.

Paul’s famous sayings included “Life is Good”, “Family Values”, “You can’t be afraid to take chances”, and "The Flesh is weak".

The family would like to express sincere gratitude to the management and staff of Sister Virginia Grimes Rehabilitation Center, Chapel Street, New Haven, for their excellent and compassionate care.

Paul’s family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday, January 22nd from 5:00 unti 8:00 p.m. at the Washington Memorial Funeral Home, 4 Washington Ave., North Haven. His funeral cortege will depart the funeral home on Friday, January 23rd at 10:45 a.m. for a Mass of Christian Burial which will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. in St. Barnabas Church (St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish), 44 Washington Ave., North Haven. Burial with Military Honors will follow in St. Lawrence Cemetery, West Haven. Contributions in Paul’s memory may be made to Grimes Rehabilitation Center, 1354 Chapel St., New Haven, CT 06511. www.washingtonmemorialfh.com

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