John Robert Roache, Jr., 82, of Huron, passed away Feb. 8, 2021, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.  

Funeral services were held Saturday, Feb. 13 at St. Wilfrid Catholic Church in Woonsocket.  Burial was in St. Wilfrid Cemetery with military honors by American Legion Post 29. Visitation was Friday, Feb. 12, at St. Wilfrid Catholic Church in Woonsocket followed by a family prayer service.

John Robert Roache, Jr., was born to John Roache, Sr., and Esther (Olson) Roache of Woonsocket on Jan. 13, 1939.  John married the love of his life, Patricia Parsons Roache in Whittier, Calif. on March 18, 1958.  John’s first position was managing the Standard Station in Woonsocket.  He enrolled in college, and after finishing his bachelors at Huron College, he entered his first career of teaching and coaching. He later received his master’s in administration from SDSU and moved into the position of principal at Wolsey High School.

John became the Sales Manager at Montgomery Agency shortly after joining the team in 1978 and remained in that position for 10 years before becoming a part owner. Owning his own business afforded him the opportunity to branch out, and he joined two other investors in the Gridiron Addition building development. They built several multi-family buildings with this project.  He also began buying real estate in and around the Huron area and owned and managed a rental agency for several years.   A few years ago, John sold his partnership in Montgomery Agency but continued to sell real estate as a broker. He also owned a cattle company and land with farming operations within the Woonsocket community. 

John’s life revolved around his wife, children, and grandchildren. He enjoyed telling his grandchildren all his life stories about the fun he had growing up on the farm in Woonsocket and the shenanigans of his younger years.  John opened his heart and home to all he met with a warm place to stay and a hot meal. Often as a surprise to his wife, John would bring home a stranger in need who would join the family for the evening meal and or a place to sleep. He always took care of the widow and her children and will be greatly missed by his family and community.

John is survived by his five children, Johnny Roache of Huron, Marty Roache of Huron, Sandra Gilchrist (Jon) of Rapid City, Suzanne Vandeberg (Curt Kempf, fiancé) of Huron, and Carrie Nipe (Chris) of Madison; 12 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.  

He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia (Parsons) Roache; his father, John Roache Sr.; his mother, Esther (Olson) Roache; sister, Nadine Krull; his brother, Tim Roache; and son-in-law, Paul Vandeberg.