Leonard "Len" Henry Rochon

Leonard Rochon passed away on March 29, 2023 at Providence Hospital after a short illness, surrounded by his loving family. Leonard was born on July 18, 1927 and lived his entire 95 years in Everett.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Lena Dire Rochon; four children, Stephen (Janie), Theresa (Tim), John (Julie), Tom (Mary); eight grandchildren, Kristin, Linnea (Morgan), Ian (LaurieJo), Brent (Jessica), Lucas (Sarah), Larisa (Reed), Bryce, Shayla (Jordan); 12 great grandchildren, Elena, Lucianna, Marcus, Lucas Jr, Justice, Siena, Avery, Elle, Brady, Sawyer, Gia, Oliver; brother, Jimmy (Peggy); sisters, Mary (Tom), Carol (Dennis); sisters-in-law, Mary, Peg, Jo; numerous nieces and nephews.

Leonard was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Leona; brothers, Ray (Dolly), Charlie, Ron (Beverly), Larry (Adeline) and sister-in-law, Yvette.

Leonard’s education began at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School where he was taught for nine years by the Dominican Sisters. High School began at St. Martin's in Lacey, WA, followed by St. Edward's Seminary in Kemore, WA, finishing his senior year at Everett High School in 1945.

Leonard began his military service with the Merchant Marines for one year, followed by two years in the Korean War with the Army 45th Infantry, where he received the rank of Sergeant-1st Class and later the Bronze Star.

Leonard met the love of his life, Lena, while attending church at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and were married there on October 4, 1952.

Leonard co-owned the Everett Window Cleaning Co., followed by 37 years as a field agent selling life insurance for the Knights of Columbus. Upon retirement in 1991, he picked up a couple part-time jobs as a custodian for Our Lady of Perpetual Help and an assistant for Purdy & Walters with Cassidy Funeral Home providing extra money to spend on his golf game.

Leonard’s Catholic faith and his love for our Heavenly Father was of utmost importance and encompassed his entire life beginning and ending at Our Lady of Perpetual Help starting with his baptism to his involvement in numerous Catholic ministries (church committees, fundraisers, religious education, parish council offices, St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Mass participant from altar serving to communion service leader to singing in the choir). His Catholic faith was also actively demonstrated in his decades long membership with the Knights of Columbus.

Leonard was a simple, humble, prayerful and faith-filled family man, who lived out his 95 years to the fullest. He was known as Honey, Dad, Grandpa and Pépère to his loved ones, but to his many friends he was known simple as Len. He will be missed by all, but know he's in a better place with his God and Savior in Heaven.

Leonard passed away with his rosary in hand and went to heaven into God's loving embrace.

We love you Honey, Dad, Grandpa, Pépère and Len.

Until we meet again...

A celebration of life will begin with the recitation of the Rosary on Thursday, April 13 at 7:00 pm, followed by the Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, April 14 at 10:00 am. Both services will be at Our Lady of Hope Chapel (formally OLPH), 2617 Cedar St., Everett with reception immediately following at Our Lady of Hope Church (formally Immaculate Conception), Mattie Hall, 2517 Hoyt Ave, Everett WA 98201.

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Eulogy

John:

Good Morning. My mom, Lena, my sister Theresa, my brothers Steve and Tom, and I, welcome you and thank you all for joining us to celebrate the life of our dad, Leonard Henry Rochon.

How do you effectively write a eulogy about a simple, humble, prayerful, and faith-filled family man who lived for 95 years and was so impactful on the lives of so many? Well, you do what dad would have done. You pray about it. So that is what I did. I asked the Lord to provide us with the words that could look into the soul of this beautiful man and celebrate a life who God put on this earth to be shared by all.

Dad was born on July 18, 1927 to Henry and Leona Rochon and except for a few years in the military, lived his entire life in Everett. He was baptized at our Lady of Perpetual Help, which began a lifetime of service to Church and God. Grandma and Grandpa Rochon raised their children, Ray, Dad, Charlie, Ron, Larry, Jimmy, Mary and Carol in various houses in the Riverside part of Everett. Grandma and Grandpa were devout in their Catholic faith and that meant all the kids were going to be part of that life from attending church, going to school, and receiving all the sacraments at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and it was that daily Catholic upbringing that permeated dads entire being and left an everlasting impact on how he lived his life from early on. I’m sure the Dominican nuns, who taught dad from grades 1 through 9 were also very influential because at the age of 14 he attended St. Edwards Seminary for 2 years, followed by one year at St. Martins High School in Lacey. Dad thought the priesthood might be his calling, but God had a different mission for dad, and he finished his senior year at Everett High School. Following high school at the age of 18 dad volunteered for the merchant marines where he resided on a ship at sea. His days were spent working in a hot, engine room and being seasick much of the time. After his one year was up, he returned home with an objective to find a girl to marry. He complained to his family that there were no “acceptable” girls in Everett, but it was at this very church that dad became acquainted with the Dire family, whose daughters were a bevy of beauties. Dad’s attention was magnetically drawn to Lena, and he never turned away. While dad wanted to get married right away, mom promised Grandma Dire that she would wait until she reached the age of 21. Dad was drafted into the Korean War and when his service ended 2 years later, mom was 21, they were married and as they say 70 years later, it is history.

While some people might lose their faith when they enter the military, not so with dad. Even during the Korean War he would attend mass and receive Holy Communion as much as possible. Dad was in the army with the 45th Infantry and his responsibility was to use his mathematical skills to ensure the guns had the correct shooting coordinates, so the artillery would land in the proper location. He would often reminisce about the battles he was involved in and would often describe the sounds of the artillery as they flew overhead with a whistle sound that he would make. He would often talk about one battle in particular, the Battle of Old Baldy, where 307 US soldiers were killed. Dad received the rank of Sergeant-1st Class and later the Bronze Star. Dad developed a lifetime friendship with one man in particular and his name is Chuck Lutz. There personalities and beliefs were at opposite ends of the scale, but dads respect and love for him was immense. After the war, Chuck would own a commercial fishing boat and would spend the summer months fishing in Alaska. At the age of 60, Chuck would ask dad to join him, bad back and all, to go fishing on his gillnetter. Dad would say that that was one of the hardest summers physically he ever had. And one side note: one of the most beautiful moments of dads last days in the hospital was his ability to converse and say his final goodbye to Chuck. Dad was very proud of his military service and had a special fondness for all those who served and are serving for their country.

Steve:

Happily, and fortunately for us, Dad returned safely to civilian life, reunited with Lena, and they were married right here on October 4th, 1952. They were truly in love with each other and where mom went, dad followed, stopped and waited for her next move. He was on the ride, like a few of us. Fundamentally they shared the same passion for the Catholic Faith and that passion was instilled in us children. We lived and loved in our one and only house on Pine Street, Dad and Mom there for 64 years.

Dad co-owned the Everett Window Cleaning Co. with his father. We speculate that Dad did not enjoy washing windows on heavy, slick wooden ladders, high in the air, in the wet and cold elements of the Pacific Northwest. So, at age 27, the Knights of Columbus, of which he was a staunch member, approached dad about being their insurance agent and he took the job. He worked hard at his profession, was honest and sincere, dedicating himself to the financial security of the families of his fraternal brothers. Dad operated one office in the basement of our house (called the “cubby hole”) and another in his car, travelling to his appointments between Olympia and Bellingham. Business materials and snacks could be found at both locations. Dad’s job often kept him out late at night, sometimes not returning until after 11:00 at night, so exhausted when he got home that he falls asleep in his car after he parked in our garage (luckily, we did not lose him prematurely to carbon monoxide poisoning). Despite his hard work, we were not wealthy, but we were always provided for, and he provided a comfortable retirement for Mom and him.

At age 64, Dad retired, but not really. He took part-time jobs as a custodian for this parish’s facilities and, and with Purdy and Walters with Cassidy Funeral Home where he would assist his friend, Levi, compassionately assisting families through the difficult emotional time we are all having to deal with today, by attending services, conducting rosaries, and driving the funeral car. Dad used the money from these part time jobs to subsidize his passion for golf, with his brothers and friends, including Father Seamus.

Dad was a devoted family man and homebody, and despite his long hours, we would be with him every day. He LOVED Mom’s cooking, but he was the barbecuer. His tradition on Sunday was making his famous buttermilk hotcakes; they were awesome. He made the best root beer and steamed clams. Special occasions included Chinese take-out; and before I-5 existed, upon returning from visits to Seattle or Tacoma, he would give into our pleadings for a bag of 19 cent burgers at Dag’s on Aurora, and later at Herfy’s in Everett. He took the family on two road trips across country, to Washington D.C. and to Florida. More easily recalled were the many annual trips to Lake Chelan, which were loads of fun, especially for his grandkids. He would bask in the company of us kids and our families. Nothing was better. But he was not great on the phone: The running challenge was how long you could keep him talking to you before he turned the phone over with “here’s your Mom, Love you”. Dad had a special way of waking us kids up with his own version of Reveille, followed up by saying cheerfully “the sun is out, the birds are singing, time to get up”, although most of the time the sun was not out, the birds were not singing, although dad would do a great bird whistle, and we did not share his cheerfulness.

Dad could be found many a Saturday or Sunday in his garage fiddling around, accomplishing something (we don’t know what), while listening to his favorite sports teams, be it Notre Dame football, the Supersonics, Seahawks, Mariners or Huskies. He enjoyed sports, especially baseball and hockey, and played basketball and a lot of golf. He loved watching sports on TV, especially when we could join him. Consistent with his wonderful sense of humor, at home we would get together downstairs in front of the TV and howl at Benny Hill, Jonathan Winters, the Carol Burnett cast, among others. The last 6 years, Dad and Mom made Washington Oaks their home, where he would include 50’s and 60’s westerns, Andy Griffith, and, ironically, M*A*S*H in his TV repertoire.

He would be smiling, so natural and genuine. His was a great smile

Theresa with Tom:

Dad loved his 8 grandchildren and his 12 great grandchildren, who called him Pépère (French for grandpa). Dad especially would love them as babies. We have many pictures of dad cradling them in his hands and making those clicking sounds with his mouth that only dad could do. As often as he could, dad would attend their sporting events, recitals, school events, ceremonies, etc., etc., etc.

The most important part of dad’s life would be the Church and his Catholic Faith. Mom and Dad would start each day with mass and a rosary. Dad was active in many church ministries from altar serving, singing in the choir, lecturing, Eucharistic minister, member of the parish council, and CCD. He would volunteer for many good causes such as St Vincent de Paul foodbank and church fundraisers. For years he would attend the annual Catholic Men’s retreat and would always come home with the comment of how he was a better person for it. The first weekend of the every month revealed dad’s devotion to Christ by attending church at 5:00 in the morning to pray and meditate in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.

He belonged to two Catholic clubs. The Serra club and the Knights of Columbus. The Serra club is a group of lay Catholics of all ages dedicated to promote and foster vocations. The Knights of Columbus are a group of Catholic men who dedicate their time and talents to charitable causes that would benefit and support Catholic principals and teachings. Many of you might remember dad in his 4th degree regalia where he would help lead in church processions or would make themselves available for funerals (like the men we have here today). Dad made many contributions to the Knights of Columbus, which he was an active part of to the very end. These men and the organization meant everything to dad and I know vice-versa.

Last, but not least dad developed some close friendships with the priests that would pastor Our Lady of Perpetual Help through the years, but none more so than Father Joe Petosa and Father Seamus Laverty.

Dad would spend his final weeks in the hospital with a rosary in his hand and family at his side. We are so thankful for all those who would be there for dad at those final moments. We have special thank you’s for: Our pastor, Father Joseph who would administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to dad. We thank Deacon Duane who would pray over dad in the hospital and has spent an enormous amount of his time helping and guiding us in preparation for the Rosary and this Funeral mass. And we thank Father Seamus for visiting and blessing dad in the hospital and for taking the time to be celebrant for this funeral mass. Dad went to heaven on March 29, 2023, where we know he is finally in God’s gracious hands and in everlasting happiness.