It is with a sad heart we post that Bill Roche, a former Administrator of the Sabian Assembly, has reposed. He was a wonderful man, a kind spirit and gifted author though the book he co-authored with Stanley Carnarius, has been out of print so long that I have forgotten, unfortunately, it’s title. When we get word of the official obituary we will of course post it.
Our header picture is the last time I saw Bill on 1 August 2017. He was discussing his hobby of woodworking and had brought along a sample Shillelagh. He was very proud of his Irish heritage.
The Full Megillah
William T. Roche, 89, a long-time resident of Berwyn, Pennsylvania and more recently of Glen Mills , died peacefully on Jan. 21, 2020 after a brief illness. His brothers Richard and Thomas Roche, Jr., and his sister, Elizabeth (Roche) Hannon, as well as his first wife, Ida Roche, and second wife, Diana Roche and their grandson Justin all precede him.
His son, Paul (Katherine) whom he lived near survives him, as does his daughter, Barbara (James) DiAntonio. He had a mutual family with Diana, for whom he spoke to me highly: Danny (Diana) Hankins, Damon (Donna) Armani, Darren (Kathleen) Armani, and Artin (Carolyn) Armani, and 19 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
After high school, Bill was a Trappist monk for five years. He then lived as a layperson, graduating from Saint Peters College in Jersey City, NJ. He met Ida, married and raised their children, Paul and Barbara, in Berwyn, PA. After 30 years of marriage, Ida died and through the former Esoteric secretary and author of Sabian Tarot, Delle Freche, met Diana.
They lived for a time in McAllen, Texas, which Bill call a “wonderful place” and then moved back to Pennsylvania to be near their children. Following the death of Diana , Bill moved to a retirement community in Potomac, Maryland near to his son Paul whom visited him often.
Bill’s business career spanned three decades as a computer systems engineer for General Electric. He applied those skills to his dual loves of philosophy (M.S. in Philosophy) and religion. He wrote two books, A Conversion of Manners: The Spiritual Legacy of St. Benedict 1 At time of Bill’s demise this was out of print, Amazon now has a copy for those interested. and The Roots of Sabian Philosophy, 2 This second book, probably because it is rather esoteric, is still out of print.. both out of print. Bill lived dedicated to his faith and his extended family of which he had nothing but praise in all our conversations.
Remembrances
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to Children International (www.children.org).
On Tuesday, February 4, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Cornelius Catholic Church, 160 Ridge Road, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania will be visitation. . A Funeral Mass at 10:30 follows. Interment will occur at St. Thomas the Apostle Cemetery, Glen Mills, PA.
Footnotes:
- 1At time of Bill’s demise this was out of print, Amazon now has a copy for those interested.
- 2This second book, probably because it is rather esoteric, is still out of print..
