Kevin J. Roche, 81, of Point Pleasant, NJ and formerly of Cranbury, NJ, passed away on February 16, 2017. Kevin was born and raised in Newburyport, MA. He was the son of the late Francis and Johanna (nee Murphy) Roche, both of whom emigrated from Ireland. He served in the Air Force before graduating from Merrimack College in 1962 with a B.S. in Accounting. He then embarked on a 36 year career at Dow Jones & Co., starting as a junior accountant and ultimately serving as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance, before retiring in 1998.
He was a member of the Spring Lake and Peddie Golf Clubs, the Elks Lodge of Manasquan, a past Grand Knight of the Hightstown Council of the Knights of Columbus, and a past member of the board of directors of the Family Service Agency of Princeton. He was also the recipient of the St. Augustine Award for Alumni Achievement from Merrimack College, where he served two terms as a member of the Board of Trustees. Kevin was known for his wonderful sense of humor, love of golf, and was proud of his Irish heritage. He established The “Roche Family Scholarship” at Merrimack to assist deserving students from the Newburyport area.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 51 years, Arleen (nee Tangney), his daughter Elizabeth and son in law James Szabo of Round Hill, VA, and his son, Edward Roche, of New York City. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Emma, Brendan and Anna Szabo, as well as his nieces Marianne Kenney and Sharon Bresnahan, nephews Kevin, Joseph and Patrick McMahon, and many other loving family members and friends. He is predeceased by his brother, Francis Roche, and sisters Ann McMahon and Cecilia Azzarito.
Visitation will take place at O’Brien Funeral Home, 2028 Hwy. 35, Wall, on Sunday, Feburay 19th from 1-4 PM. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Catharine’s Church, Spring Lake, on Monday, February 20th, at 10:30 AM, followed by entombment at St. Catharine’s Cemetery, Sea Girt. In lieu of flowers donations in Mr. Roche’s memory may be made to Merrimack College, ATTN: Roche Family Scholarship, 315 Turnpike Street, North Andover, MA 01845 or to the American Brain Tumor Association, 8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Ste. 550, Chicago, IL 60631.
To send condolences, please visit www.obrienfuneralhome.com.
