Rev. Dr. Robert Roland LaRochelle

Rev. Dr. Robert Roland LaRochelle, 71, of Broad Brook, formerly of South Windsor, Manchester, and Putnam, died at his home on Monday, November 4, 2024.
Bob was born in Putnam on January 2, 1953, the only child of the late Roland and Claire LaRochelle. He graduated from Marianapolis Preparatory School in Thompson in 1970, and from the College of the Holy Cross in 1974. After earning his master's in religious education at Boston College, he began teaching religion at East Catholic High School in 1978. He met his wife Patricia, an English teacher, at their first faculty meeting. They married on August 23, 1980, settled in Manchester, and started a family. They moved to Morgan Farms Drive in South Windsor in 1987 and raised their three children there. After earning a master's degree in counseling at Central Connecticut State University, he moved to the South Windsor school system in 1989, where he served as a counselor until his retirement from education in 2019.
Bob was raised in the Roman Catholic Church and was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Archdiocese of Hartford in 1989. He served several Catholic parishes as a Youth Minister and Religious Education Director. He was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 2002 at First Congregational Church of Vernon and served as pastor for 11 years at the Congregational Church of Union. He later served at Second Congregational Church of Manchester, Christ the King Lutheran in Windsor, Grace Lutheran in Plainville, and Second Congregational Church of Stafford. He earned a doctoral degree in preaching from Chicago Theological Union in 2007 and went on to publish eight books on religious topics, ranging from a practical guide for bi-vocational pastors to a frank exploration of his own faith journey. Bob's faith in God ran deep, and he shared it with all who were lucky enough to know him.
An avid fan of the Boston Red Sox, Bob also spent many years as a baseball coach, serving on the staff of the 1983 state championship team at East Catholic and coaching in South Windsor at all levels: Little League, 9th grade, JV, and varsity at SWHS, and American Legion. The baseball field was his happy place.
Left to hold his memory dear is his beloved wife of 44 years, Patricia Coppinger LaRochelle. Missing their dad are his three children, all educators, and their spouses: Brian Robert LaRochelle (Michelle) of Norwood, MA; Kathleen LaRochelle McNutt (Darron) of Skokie, IL; and Stephen Daniel LaRochelle (Anna) of Lawrenceville, NJ. Bob especially cherished his two granddaughters, Claire Fiona and Brenna Coppinger LaRochelle, of Norwood, MA. He will also be missed by his many in-laws, nieces, and nephews, whom he held dear.
His family will receive friends on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, from 9-11 a.m., at the Samsel & Carmon Funeral Home, 419 Buckland Rd., South Windsor. A memorial service will be held in the funeral home beginning at 11 a.m.
Donations in his memory may be made to the South Windsor American Legion: 1100 Hartford Turnpike Unit 755, Vernon, CT 06066, or @SWCTLegionBaseball on Venmo. For online condolences please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com