Mary 'Pat' Roche, Salina
Obituary for Mary "Pat" (Gilbreth) Roche | Ryan Mortuary
August 19, 1942 ~ October 7, 2021 (age 79)
Mary Patricia “Pat” Roche, 79, of Salina passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on Thursday, October 7, 2021. She was born Mary Patricia Gilbreth, the youngest of eight children on August 19, 1942, in Joplin, Missouri, to Roy Love and Agnes Genevieve (Kelly) Gilbreth.
She attended college at Missouri Southern University and graduated from Pittsburg State University in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in secondary education.
In 1966, she married her college sweetheart Daniel Lee Sherman of Overland Park, KS, and had one son named Daniel Archer together.
Daniel joined the U.S. Army and was sent to Vietnam while Pat returned to Joplin with their son. She worked as a teacher at St. Mary's Grade School in Joplin. Tragically, Daniel was killed in action in 1966.
She then went on to meet her second husband, Joseph Beale Roche. They were married in 1968 and their teaching careers brought them to Salina, KS.
They had two sons, Andrew Michael and Joseph Matthew.
Joseph began teaching at Salina South and remained there until his death in May 1979.
Pat worked as a teacher for many years at Central HS as an at-risk teacher and as a Girl Scout counselor, all while raising her three sons. Pat changed careers and began working at Kansas SRS as a child support enforcement officer until her retirement in 2003. In her senior years, she enjoyed a return to education as she served as a substitute teacher in the Salina and Ell-Saline School Districts. Often she would be called to duty at Ell-Saline HS to sub for her youngest son when he left for sporting events. In her spare time she enjoyed reading, sewing, gardening and playing with her dogs. She embraced the chance to travel and visit her middle son while he toured in the U.S. Army, often staying to help while he deployed. A final joy in her life was spoiling her grandchildren with her wonderful reading and baking skills. Pat was a strong independent lady until her last breath, teaching us the very definition of "survival."
Pat is preceded in death by six siblings: Martha Newby, Francis Burr, Ruth Johnson, David Gilbreth, Robert Gilbreth and Bill Gilbreth.
Survivors include one sibling, James Gilbreth of Columbia, MO; and her children Daniel A. Sherman of Salina, Andrew M. Roche (and wife Vicki) of Junction City, and Joseph M. Roche (and wife Tina) of Salina; and three grandchildren, Gabriel Roche, Julian Roche, and Eva Roche.
Visitation will be at Ryan Mortuary on Monday, October 11 from 5-7 p.m. with rosary at 6 p.m.
An additional service will be held at a later time in Joplin where Pat will take her final resting place.
Memorials may be made to the family in care of Ryan Mortuary.
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