After a long illness, Dr. Roche of Millersville passed away peacefully at his home on October 19th, 2015.

During a career spanning 35 years as a licensed physician in Maryland and board-certified pathologist, Dr. Roche practiced at Johns Hopkins and other area hospitals, then worked for the State of Maryland — eventually serving for 2 years as Acting State Epidemiologist for infectious diseases. In 2007, Dr. Roche joined the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a Medical Officer, where he led research on the efficacy of genetic testing, among other things. While serving as Medical Officer at CMS, he was twice awarded the Administrator's Special Citation.

Dr. Roche's education included graduating as an Eagle Scout from Regis High School in Manhattan, Master's and Bachelor's degrees (Phi Beta Kappa) in Physics from Boston College and a Medical Doctorate and Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Roche was preceded in death by his parents William J. and Mary Casey Roche of New York; a brother, Gregory William and a son, Douglas Patrick. He is survived by his daughters, Ellen Christine and Anne Elizabeth; his sister, Mary Ellen Roche, her husband, Bernie Bouchard and stepson, Andrew of Sag Harbor, NY; a cousin, Maureen Roche of Baltimore and other cherished family members.

Visitation for family and friends will be held at Barranco & Sons, P.A. Severna Park Funeral Home in Severna Park, MD on Thursday, October 22nd from 4-7 pm. There will be a private burial at the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in New York on Saturday, October 24th. In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made in Dr. Roche's memory to either the American Red Cross' disaster relief fund or the American College of Medical Genetics.