John Marshall Roney, 80

Providence, R.I.

John Marshall Roney died peacefully on March 10 in Providence, R.I. John was born on Sept. 21, 1939, in Washington, DC, the son of Joseph Roney and Elizabeth Marshall Chamblin. He graduated from St. John’s Military Academy, Providence College and The Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America. He and his first wife, Irene Howe, had two children, Christopher and Carley. He joined D.C. Legal Services, which launched a lifelong career of advocacy for the vulnerable and voiceless.

In 1970 he joined Rhode Island Legal Services, where he was instrumental in many precedent-setting civil rights cases that improved the rights of the underserved.

John opened his own civil and criminal law office and practiced from 1983 to 2018, when he retired. Over the course of his career, John established a sterling reputation in leading numerous high-profile cases in Federal Court. John was elected as a State Senator for the Second District of Providence in 1994, and after eight years became Senate Parliamentarian. He was elected president of the Rhode Island Bar Association in 2003 and was honored with the Community Service Award in 1995 and the Public Service Programs Certificate of Appreciation in 2009.

In 1988, John married Barbara Kennedy Roney, and they split their time between Providence and Tiverton, where they kept perhaps his most-prized possession, a 38’ Alden Challenger sailboat. John loved the outdoors, and was happiest sailing with friends and family, taking a nightly swim, or fishing with his eight adoring grandchildren. John is survived by his wife, Barbara Roney, his children, Christopher Roney (Lisa), Carley Roney (David), and Kristina Hanson Lowell (Greg); and his sisters, Ellen Roney Hughes and Joanne Roney Hepworth (Bill).