Francis "Rock" Roche

March 10, 1931 - March 11, 2024

Francis "Rock" Roche, 93, of Sterling passed away Monday, March 11, 2024 in Sterling. Recitation of the Rosary will be at 9:30 am Monday, March 18 at St. Anthony Catholic Church. Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:00 am with Father Michael Bodzioch celebrating. Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery. Rock was born on March 10, 1931, in Sutherland, NE to Joseph and Dorothy (Hehnke) Roche. He attended Regis High School for one year and then graduated from Paxton High School. He received his Bachelor's degree at Regis University and then received his Master's degree from UNC Greeley. He began teaching at Paxton High School and coached all of the sports (football, basketball, and track) at Stapleton, NE. He then taught English Lit at NJC and later became the Dean of Students at NJC.

Rock married Darlene Jorgensen in May of 1955 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sutherland, NE. They were married for 68 years. He was a Lions Club member and was the first to start collecting eyeglasses and a program for service dogs for blind people while serving in the Lions Club. He was also a board member at the Credit Union. He enjoyed reading, collecting coins, sports, searching for arrowheads, and serving on the board of the Credit Union.

Rock is survived by his wife Darlene; son Joe (Shawna) Roche, grandsons Jordan and Michael (Shelby) Roche, great-grandsons Jordan and Logan; son Tom (Cathy) Roche, grandson Kelli and granddaughter Cassidy Roche; daughter Roxane (Skip) Schneider, grandson Jack Schneider and Fiancé Thea Hack and grandson Sam Schneider; brother Hugo Roche and sister Mary Jo Satterthwaite. He was preceded in death by his father Joseph and mother Dorothy.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Rock's name to the Lions Club care of Tennant Funeral Home, PO Box 1547, Sterling, CO 80751.