Neil J. Roche, 83, of Franklin, MA died peacefully at home on Sunday, February 22, surrounded by his beloved wife and children.
One of eleven children, he was born on December 7, 1931 in Foxboro, MA, to David C. and Mary F. (Gill) Roche.
He is survived by his devoted wife of fifty-eight years, Joanne (Aimone) Roche and his seven children, Linda Arminio and her husband Edward, of Franklin, MA; Suzanne Thomlinson and her husband Keith, of Westport, MA; Patricia Garvey and her husband Michael, of Woburn, MA; John and his wife Jean (Reed) Roche of Franklin, MA; Mary Ann Larsen and her husband Larry, of Winchester, VA; Kathleen Roche and her partner Greg Merrill, of Charlestown, MA; and Thomas and his wife Katie (Gross) Roche of Westwood, MA.
He is also survived by fourteen grandchildren, Jacqueline Arminio; Courtney and Matthew Garvey; Peter, Mary, and David Roche; Megan, Kellie, Kristen, Bridgette, Meredith and Ann Marie Larsen; and Molly and Patrick Roche.
He leaves his sisters, Theresa Bannon of Providence, RI and Carol Skinner of Brockton, MA, and sisters-in-law, Lillian “Nicky” Roche of Foxboro, MA and Pauline Roche, of Wrentham, MA. He was predeceased by eight siblings; Paul, Ann Kennedy, Robert, Francis, Margaret Wellman, Henry, Vincent, and William.
Raised and educated in Foxboro, he was a graduate of Foxboro High School in 1949, Stonehill College in 1953 and Boston College Law School in 1956.
For over fifty five years, Neil was a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and a practicing attorney in Franklin. During this time, he was active in Franklin’s town government, serving as the Town Counsel, a member of the Franklin Redevelopment Authority and the Town Charter Commission.
He was a devout Catholic and an active parishioner at St. Mary’s in Franklin, serving as a lector and a member of the parish council.
He served in the United States Army from 1956-1959, and for thirty-two years in the U.S. Army Reserves. He was commanding officer of the Third Judge Advocate General’s Corps. (JAG) in Boston, MA. He also served as Staff Judge Advocate of the 94th ARCOM, retiring as a Colonel in 1991.
Neil was a lifelong tennis player, who enjoyed both playing and hosting tennis tournaments. He also loved playing golf, crossword puzzles, cribbage, Irish music, traveling to Ireland and Italy, and was an avid reader. He spent many happy years in Waterville Valley, N.H. enjoying cross country skiing, and playing tennis and golf with family and friends.
Visiting hours will be held at Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin, 131 Main Street, Franklin, on Friday, February 27, 4-8 pm. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at St. Mary Church in Franklin on Saturday, February 28 at 10 am. Interment to follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that expressions of sympathy be donated to the Congregation of Holy Cross, 500 Washington St., North Easton, MA 02356-1299. For directions and guestbook, visit http://www.ginleyfuneralhomes.com/.