Wesley G. Rochelle

BRISTOL

Wesley G. Rochelle, 76, of Bristol, beloved widower of Karen Rochelle, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain, surrounded by his family. Wesley was born in Burlington, VT on June 16, 1948, and was the son of the late Garland and Bertha (Fortune) Rochelle. He attended Bristol Central High School and entered the service on April 6, 1968, and sent to Vietnam as a member of the United States Army. Wesley's service to his country was extraordinary. On September 26, 1968, during his first week in Vietnam, he was wounded in action and received the Purple Heart on December 21, 1968. However, it was the actions of Wesley on March 29, 1969, in Vietnam which distinguishes him most. On that day, Wesley and his unit were under heavy enemy fire. Wesley called to his fellow soldiers to render cover fire as he crawled to aid fellow soldiers that had become injured. Wesley,

without regard of his own safety, fired upon the enemy with his weapon and grenades to reach a wounded soldier. This act saved the soldier and earned Wesley the Bronze Star. He was honorably discharged on April 7, 1970, and returned home. He retired from J.W. Green after many years of being employed as an equipment operator. In his leisure time, you could find Wesley riding around on his quad, shooting guns at the range with his son Kyle and daughter Stacey, fishing, playing cards, watching westerns on tv and playing with his RC crawlers. Wesley is survived by his two children, Kyle Rochelle of New Britain and Stacey Rochelle and her boyfriend Kevin Strycharz of Portland. He is also survived by his sister Patricia Tracy of Oakboro, NC, his cousin Wendy Croft and her children Gary Croft and Andrea Sargent , his sister in law Laura Taylor, and his friends , Elliot Cyr and his wife Janice and Keith Barrington and his wife Claire. Calling hours for Wesley will be held on Friday, May 9, 2025, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Funk Funeral Home, 35 Bellevue Ave., Bristol, CT 06010. Burial with military honors will be held on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 10 a.m. in Peacedale Cemetery, 115 James P. Casey Rd., Bristol. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Wesleys memory may be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306. Please visit Wesley's memorial page at www.FunkFuneralHome.com. Some people never meet their heroes. We were raised by ours!

Wesley G. Rochelle