Deborah Roher of New Bedford, an attorney and progressive activist whose influence was felt across civic, political, labor, environmental and religious organizations in southeastern Massachusetts for more than 35 years, has died at 70. The cause was brain cancer.
For more than 20 years, Deb Roher ran a Fall River law practice after first arriving in Massachusetts in 1987 as an attorney with the Southern Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. More recently she also worked for Greater Boston Legal Services.
Deb was a founding member of the Coalition for Social Justice. Her professional memberships included the National Lawyers Guild and National Assn. of Consumer Advocates. While in legal services, she was a member of the National Assn. of Legal Services Workers (now UAW Local 2320).
Deborah Gwen Roher was born in Ellenville, N.Y., and lived in Bethesda, Md., and White Plains, N.Y., before attending Yale University and the Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C. She began her law career as an attorney with Kentucky Legal Services in Ashland, Ky., where she practiced until coming to Massachusetts.
She is survived by her mother Florence and brothers Richard (Susan) of White Plains, N.Y., and Torin (Lisa) of Bellevue, Wash.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Coalition for Social Justice, 558 Pleasant St. Suite 309, New Bedford, MA 02740; Southcoast Community Foundation,128 Union St. #403, New Bedford, MA 02740; The American Civil Liberties Union, 125 Broad Street, 18th floor, New York, NY 10004; or Bend the Arc Jewish Action, 330 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1900, New York, NY 10001.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at 11:00 AM at Tifereth Israel Congregation, 145 Brownell Avenue, New Bedford, Massachusetts. Burial will follow in Plainville Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited and those unable to attend may join via livestream at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/79200381813?pwd=Q2FhUC8rcVZVTzdvWEFpRHlLWVZwZz09 or by clicking the link below.
