Obituary: Sister Clare Roche, PBVM

| 03/24/2026

By: The Good Newsroom

Sister Clare Roche professed final vows as a Sister of the Presentation in 1954, and spent 64 years teaching in New York and Louisiana, along with serving as a pastoral associate and receptionist

Sister Clare Roche professed final vows as a Sister of the Presentation in 1954, and spent 64 years teaching in New York and Louisiana, along with serving as a pastoral associate and receptionist.
Sister Clare Roche professed final vows as a Sister of the Presentation in 1954, and spent 64 years teaching in New York and Louisiana, along with serving as a pastoral associate and receptionist. Photo courtesy of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Sister Clare Roche of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in New Windsor entered eternal life at home on March 19, 2026, at age 95.

Sister Clare was born in Far Rockaway on June 26, 1930. She attended Saint Michael’s High School in Manhattan and graduated from Manhattan College with a bachelor’s in English, and Assumption College, where she earned her master’s in Spanish. She professed final vows as a Sister of the Presentation on April 23, 1954.

Over the course of 64 years, Sister Clare taught at St. John’s, Goshen; St. Jude’s, Manhattan; Mount Saint Joseph, New Windsor; and John S. Burke High School, Goshen. She also taught in Louisiana at St. David’s, New Orleans, and St. Lucy’s, Houma. Sister Clare served as a pastoral worker at St. Lucy’s in Houma and as a pastoral associate at St. Teresa’s in Manhattan. Before retiring, she served as receptionist at St. Ignatius Loyola in New York City for 15 years.

Sister Clare was predeceased by her parents, Thomas and Clare (Conerty) Roche, and her sisters Joan Stroh and Marie Quigley.

She is survived by nieces and nephews, their spouses, children, and grandchildren, and many close friends.

The welcoming prayer will be held on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 10 a.m., with liturgy to follow at 11 a.m., at Mount Saint Joseph Chapel, 64 Presentation Way, New Windsor, N.Y. Burial will follow at Mount St. Joseph Cemetery. The Mass will be livestreamed and can be accessed on the congregation’s Facebook page or website at www.sistersofthepresentation.org.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Sister Clare’s name to: Sisters of the Presentation, 84 Presentation Way, New Windsor, N.Y. 12553.

For further information, please contact: Administration Center, Sisters of the Presentation, 84 Presentation Way, New Windsor, N.Y. 12553, (845) 564-0513 ext. 101.

To send a personal condolence, please visit www.brooksfh.com or call (845) 561-8300.

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