Windsor Obituary: Nancy LaRoche, 80

Nancy Evelyn LaRoche, 80, formerly of Wethersfield, died, reluctantly, on the 5th day of December, 2017 at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford where she was born on August 27, 1937.

She was the only child of Philip J. and Lucy (Fournier) LaRoche of Windsor, where she spent her childhood and early adult years. She later lived in Hartford for more than twenty years before moving to Wethersfield over 27 years ago.

An alumna of Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, she received graduate degrees from Trinity College and Wesleyan University. After teaching for fifteen years, most of them at Bloomfield High School, she worked as an editor of reference books before joining the Hartford Courant, where she was an editor in the Features Department. After retiring from The Courant in 1995, she worked as a freelance editor until vision loss prevented her from doing so.

She leaves her beloved cousins who were her family, most especially Ninita M. Therrien of West Haven, W. James (and Gina) Therrien of Frankfort, IL, and Lorraine Guilmartin of West Hartford, as well as a host of much loved friends who enriched her life immensely. Other survivors include four godchildren, each of whom was special to her in a unique way: Jacqui May Parker of Windsor; Jean Tremblay Pomeroy of Granby; Anne Guilmartin Grebbin of Laguna Niguel, CA; and Joseph A. Hallisey of Glastonbury. She also leaves the children of Lorraine Guilmartin, with whom she was particularly close, most especially her goddaughter Anne Grebbin, and Lorraine’s son Kelly, without whose loving assistance and solicitous care she could not have managed the past several years. Nancy was predeceased by a special cousin, Judith Therrien Tasillo, as well as other cherished cousins and friends.

There will be no calling hours. Burial in Village Cemetery, Wethersfield, will be private at the convenience of the family.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Dillon-Baxter Funeral Home, Wethersfield.

Because she so loved walking, Wethersfield, and unspoiled nature, she asked that anyone wishing to make a memorial donation consider Great Meadows Conservation Trust, P.O. Box 171, Glastonbury, CT 06033, www.gmct.org.

A celebratory gathering at The Keeney Memorial Cultural Center, 200 Main St., Wethersfield, on January 6, 2018 from 11:00-3:00 PM where, per her request, there will be much music and laughter.

Please visit www.dillonbaxter.com to share a memory with her family.