Mary Lee LaRoche

She was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Benjamin Teed LaRoche, and her son, Michael Val LaRoche. She is survived by three daughters- Lynn Whittenburg (Ed), Tina Narron (Dan), and Lee Ann LaRoche, three grandchildren-Hannah Chastain (Colt), Noah Whittenburg, and Daniel Whittenburg; and one great-grandchild, Everly Rose Chastain.

She was born in Spring Place, GA to Myra and Joe Smith and lived her early years in Spring Place, Chattanooga, TN, and Cleveland, TN. The Great Depression and then World War II greatly affected her early life and made her the strong, resilient woman she was. She and her family moved to West Palm Beach, FL at the age of 7, where she lived until 1949. She graduated from Palm Beach High School in 1944, where she met the love of her life, Benjamin Teed LaRoche. They were married on April 10, 1948 and were practically inseparable for 60 years until he passed away in 2008.

In 1949, they built their home in Catoosa County, where she lived for seventy-five years.

Her faith and her church, First Baptist Church of Chattanooga, were very important to her and Ben. They joined in 1957 and she served for 38 years teaching three-year-olds and was ordained as a deacon in 1988. She served several terms and was then elected as a life deacon.

When her children started school at West Side Elementary, she got involved there, serving several terms as PTO President and then working as a teacher’s aide for approximately twenty years. She also was a dedicated Girl Scout leader for several years.

She and Ben began camping with their family and other friends from church in 1966, spending two weeks every summer at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City, Fl but later expanding to Gulf Shores State Park and Cumberland Mountain State Park. Their camping continued until Ben’s death in 2008.

She and Ben also enjoyed UTC Mocs basketball, holding season tickets for several years with some of their church friends. They also were faithful fans of the Atlanta Braves, watching and cheering them on from their television after they no longer attended in person.

In her later years, after her eyesight dimmed, she enjoyed phone conversations with her longtime church friends as well as family and visits from her children and grandchildren. She also never missed watching her Sunday service online after she could no longer attend in person.

She lived long enough, as she believed she would, to “hold a baby again”, and that baby, now seven, was her great-granddaughter Everly. She also was thrilled to finally see her Atlanta Braves win the World Series again in 2021. She proudly voted for the last time in November, having voted in every presidential election and most local and state elections since 1948. During the pandemic, she dug back through her memories of what she learned in school and relearned all the US Presidents in order and all the states and capitals. Just last week, she relearned the poem “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. In her later years, she first worked crossword puzzles, then jigsaw puzzles, then after her vision became too poor, listened to approximately 50 books on CD. In December, she celebrated her 98th birthday, Christmas, and a last visit from Tina and Daniel. We celebrate that she was able to enjoy life and remain mostly independent until five days before her death and rejoice that she is in heaven, having lived a long and blessed life.

A Celebration of Mary’s Life will be held on Wednesday January 8, 2025 at First Baptist Church, 401 Gateway Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37402 at 11:00 am. The family will receive friends at Chattanooga Funeral Home East Chapel on Tuesday January 7, 2025 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm and again on Wednesday prior to the service at the church beginning at 10:00 am. Burial will be in the Chattanooga National Cemetery at 12:30pm.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions in Mary’s name can be made to the First Baptist Church, 401 Gateway Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37402.

Please share your thoughts and memories at www.ChattanoogaEastChapel.com

Chattanooga Funeral Home East Chapel, 404 S. Moore Rd., East Ridge, TN., has been entrusted with the arrangements.