John J. Roche

NORTH HAVEN - John J. Roche, 90, of North Haven, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 23, 2017, at the Masonicare Health Center, Wallingford with his family by his side. He was the beloved husband of 63 years to Ann DeMartino Roche.

John was born in New Haven on Jan. 7, 1927, son of the late John and Anne Hasty Roche; served his country faithfully in the U.S. Army Air Corp durng World War II, and had worked for both the Branford Armory and New Haven Armory on Orange Street, and later for the former Marlin Firearms of North Haven for many years until his retirement. John was one of the founding board members of the North Haven Youth Hockey Program in the early 70's and coached several teams, at one point there were three generations of the Roche family on the ice together. He later taught skating for the New Haven Youth Hockey Program at Yale, and for the Wallingford Hawks and the Greater New Haven Warriors. He was a member of the Elm City Gun Club; member of the North Haven Senior Center where he sang in the choir and was a parishioner of St. Barnabas Church where he tended the flag every day for many years. He also had a love for dogs and horses.

He was the father of Thomas Roche (Joan), Jacqueline Giorgio (Peter), Ann Kohler (Bud) and Nina Manguilli (George); grandfather of Jamie Roche Stephan (David), Thomas Roche, Spencer, Connor, Avery and Perris Giorgio, Braedon, Riley and Liam Kohler, Emory and Chloe Manguilli. He was predeceased by a sister, Margaret Pecylak.

His funeral procession left the North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Ave., Monday, May 1. A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated in St. Barnabas Church. Interment with full military honors was followed in All Saints Cemetery.

www.northhavenfuneral.com