Obituary of Thomas J. Roche, Jr

Thomas J. Roche, 86, of Brookside, NJ passed away on September 16 after a long illness. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral Mass on Monday Sept. 22, 2014 at 10:30am at St. Joseph Church. Interment Hilltop Cemetery, Mendham. Visitation will be on Sunday from 1-5 pm at the Bailey Funeral Home, 8 Hilltop Rd., Mendham. Tom was born in Orange, NJ on May 21, 1928. He attended St. John's Grammar School and Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair. He served honorably in the U.S. Army during the Korean War at Fort Eustis, Virginia and rose to the rank of Sergeant Major. When his tour of duty was over, he joined Edison Industries in West Orange. During his stint at Fort Eustis he discovered Williamsburg, and he took his children there every Easter vacation for several years. They never tired of it. In addition, he took them during summer vacations to the Midwest and West to see the magnificent natural sites of our country. On June 19, 1954 Tom married Vera MacNamara of West Orange. They met at a high school reunion and were married a year later. Their love for one another could not be measured in time or words, it was never ending. Tom then took a job with American Home Foods, Inc. in Morris Plains, N.J. selling instant coffee. After working for them for 6 years, they went out of the instant coffee business. At that time, Tom had three young boys and thought, "I've got 3 young children to feed, and I've got to do something." He bought the business with a loan from the First Iron Bank in Morristown and changed the name to American Instants, Inc. They have just celebrated their 54th year in business. He has always said he owed his success to his faith in God during all the difficult times and to his wonderful and loyal employees. Some of his employees have been with him for over 30 years. The business is now located on the Bartley-Flanders Rd in Flanders, NJ. He helped many people in need with his generosity. He put the profits of American Instants back into the business to keep it running and keep his employees with jobs. Many of his fellow businessmen and his customers commented on his positive attitude. And like many of the men of his generation, the 1950's, he lived and worked by his wits. There wasn't much formal training in business. It was a less complicated and technical world. His three sons attended Oratory Prep School in the 1970's when it was a struggling school, and he became the first president of the father's club started by Msgr. Fitzpatrick who was appointed to keep the school running during a troubled time for Catholic Schools. Msgr. did it with the help of the Oratory priests, the development director and the hard working and conscientious parents. Tom continued to work for the school's betterment and received the first Honorary Alumnus of the Year Award at a graduation ceremony. The subsequent dedication of headmasters, priests, parents and staff has made Oratory one of the finest prep schools in the area. He learned to play golf at an early age and played throughout his lifetime with his golf buddies, playing at Lake Mohawk and Roxiticus Golf Clubs, until he was unable due to Parkinson's disease. He gave up the game, never complained and said, "I've had my turn now it's somebody else's". He was predeceased by his mother and father, Regina and Tom Roche of Orange, NJ and his sister, Jean, of Cape Cod, Mass. He was a parishioner of St. Joseph's Church in Mendham, NJ for 33 years. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Vera, his son, Christopher, his wife, Cornelia and their son Peter of Chester, NJ, Michael and his son Kyle of Stowe, Vermont, Kevin and his daughter Claire of New Hope, PA, daughter Jennifer Vilot and her husband John and their children Alexandra and Frank, and daughter Alison Rodilosso her husband Fran and their children Nathalie, Stephanie, Dylan and Charlie of Rye, N.Y. He is also survived by his niece Kathy McWilliams and her husband Scott of Newton Square, Mass. and sister-in-law Grace Jones of Ramsey, NJ and many other nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Joseph's School in Mendham, N.J. or Oratory Prep School, 1 Beverly Rd. Summit, N.J.