Barbara Ann (Hall) LaRoche

Barbara Ann (Hall) LaRoche, 96, of Peterborough, NH, passed gently and quietly from this life on May 4, 2022 at Summerhill Assisted Living in Peterborough, in the presence of her loving family. Born October 5, 1925 in Brookline, MA, to Rev. George A. and Faith (Pomeroy) Hall, she was the youngest of 9 children. Barbara was raised in Brookline, and spent summers with her family in Sunapee, NH. She graduated from Brookline High School in 1943.

A true New Englander, Barbara was both proud and amused that her family lineage could be traced back to Mayflower passenger George Soule, a founding settler of Plymouth Colony and a signer of the Mayflower Compact, often chuckling about how many thousands of other people could make the same claim.

Following high school, Barbara was employed in defense work during World War II at the MIT Radar Lab in Cambridge, where she met her future husband, Roland A. LaRoche. They were married on October 4, 1947 moving first to Sharon, NH, then settling in Peterborough, NH where they raised their three children. Before their first child was born, Mrs. LaRoche worked for two years at the American Guernsey Cattle Club in Peterborough. Later, she assisted with her husband’s business developing homes and commercial buildings.

In addition to business and family activities, Barbara loved being engaged in her community by volunteering in the medical records department at Monadnock Community Hospital, being a regular blood donor, and in the 1960s becoming active in political causes such as the Eugene McCarthy campaign and the pro-peace organization Another Mother for Peace. She was firmly committed to the ideals of tolerance and equality for all.

Following many years living in Peterborough, the couple retired first to a home they owned in Sunapee, then built a new home in New London where they lived for 12 years. After Roland’s passing in 2009, Barbara became a resident of Summerhill Assisted Living in Peterborough, where she was active and well-loved by staff and residents alike, and she grew to love Summerhill as her home. 

Known for her sharp mind, dry wit, and kindness to others, she thoroughly enjoyed reading, playing bridge, bingo, Scrabble (especially at the Dublin Community Center with her friend Mary Alice), and nightly games of Rummikub with her friend Polly. She also loved corresponding with friends and family, sending letters and cards that often included her hand-drawn illustrations and little poems she called her “doggerels,” solving all kinds of word puzzles, working on jigsaw puzzles, and attending concerts. She liked to stay active, happily skiing into her 80s and swimming into her 90s.

Barbara loved bright colors, especially the color red (which her family affectionately referred to as “Mother Barbara Red”). She was famous for accessorizing her outfits with colorful socks, bright strings of beads, her favorite Lauren Pollaro earrings, and on special occasions, her mother’s purple hat with its distinctive pheasant feather! Residents and staff will remember her stepping briskly down the corridors of Summerhill, her familiar red cardinal ornament and bell attached to her walker.

In her long life, Barbara was a much-loved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and friend known for her ready smile and kind words. She always took time to show appreciation and give encouragement to friends and family. 

Mrs. LaRoche was predeceased by her husband of 62 years, Roland A. LaRoche, her two sons, John A. LaRoche (1999) and Kenneth N. LaRoche (2006), and her eight siblings. She is survived by her daughter, Catherine A. LaRoche and husband, Michael C. Wakefield, of Peterborough; two daughters-in-law, MJ LaRoche, of Sunnyvale, CA, and Wendy Starkweather LaRoche, of Peterborough; three grandchildren, Adora LaRoche, of Erving, MA, Tobey LaRoche, of Northampton, MA, and Shannah LaRoche, of Walnut Creek, CA; two step-grandchildren, Travis Wakefield, of Orlando, FL, and Tucker Wakefield and his wife Nadja, of Heppenheim, Germany, three great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

In accordance with Barbara’s wishes, and characteristic of her lifelong desire to help others, her body was donated to the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. 

A celebration of Barbara’s life will be held at a later date.

Barbara’s family would like to particularly thank the Summerhill staff and management for the love, support, and extra kindness that they showed, not only during her final days but for the entire time she was a resident. They were truly part of her extended family.

Memorial donations in Barbara’s name may be made to the Peterborough Town Library, 2 Concord Street, Peterborough, NH 03458; the Dublin Community Center, PO Box 249, Dublin, NH 03444; or to a charity of your choice. 

The Cremation Society of New Hampshire assisted with arrangements. To view her online tribute, leave a message of condolence, or for more information, please visit www.csnh.com.