Elizabeth K. Rochon

 Elizabeth K. Rochon

November 2, 1929 ~ November 9, 2019

Elizabeth Catherine (nee Kleckner) Rochon marked her 90th birthday on All Souls Day, November 2nd. She was the youngest of three children, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Joseph P. and Elisabeth (Schannen) Kleckner. Elizabeth was raised in Alexandria, VA where she was a Girl Scout, and wartime plane spotter with the volunteer fire department. She completed her schooling at the Academy of The Church of St. Mary in 1946 and within months, became a competent clerk-typist for the 2nd Assistant Postmaster General in Washington D.C.

For fun--and patriotism--'Libby' accompanied her big brother, Joseph M. Kleckner--a wounded veteran--to Saturday night dances at the Alexandria USO. On a December evening in 1947, she met and danced with a shy soldier named Larry Rochon. Seven months later, they pronounced their marriage vows. The young wife continued her career in the Post Office Department until happily commencing motherhood in 1952. Mother to five, Elizabeth celebrated and cherished each child as an individual. Her calm and competent demeanor enhanced the lives of her family and made her a wonderful helpmate as Larry's career with Ford Motor Company, advanced. Libby oversaw several U.S. and trans-Atlantic relocations, blending her flair for adventure with her wisdom of family-nurturing routines and traditions. The most significant relocation took the entire family to London, England in 1969.

In 1972, Libby met stringent qualifications to become a Library of Congress Certified Braille Transcriber. She commenced a 40-year volunteer avocation, brailling textbooks, and youth to teen nonfiction and popular fiction. A longtime braillist for Livonia, Michigan’s Seedlings Braille Books for Children, Libby received their 2001 Frances Hoetger Award for Outstanding Service to Seedlings. It is her wish that memorial donations be directed to:

Seedlings Braille Books for Children 

P.O.Box 51924 Livonia, MI 48151-5924 or www.seedlings.org

An avid reader, baker, and hostess, Libby is dearly loved and will be dearly missed by her husband of 71 years, Lawrence Charles, and their children: Thomas R. (Amber) Rochon of Newtown, CT; Lorraine D. Rochon of Tucson, AZ; Deborah R.(Raymond) Chappa of Green Valley, AZ; Lynn M. Rochon of Nashville, TN; and Timothy W. (Shawn) Rochon of Rochester Hills, MI. She is the fun-loving ‘Granny’ or 'GiGi' of 5 grandchildren: James (Jody) Rochon, Matthew Borton, Katie (Ben) Carden, William Rochon, Eliot Rochon. Elizabeth is also survived by her sister, Madeline A. Eskew of Woodbridge, VA.

The family plans a private celebration of Elizabeth’s life in the near future.

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