Patricia (Thorsen) Roche (1921 - 2006)

Born 16 Feb 1921 in New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Wife of John Frease Roche — married 3 Aug 1963 in New York City, New York County, New York, United States

Descendants

Died 13 Jan 2006 at age 84 in Houston, Harris, Texas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Sandi Strong [send private message]

Biography

Patricia Thorsen was born on 16 Feb 1921 to J. Mitchel Thorsen and Lucy Dale (Wallace) Thorsen in the New York Lying-In Hospital, 307 Second Ave., New York City, apparently founded by philanthropists and meant to provide free maternity care to immigrants. It would become Manhattan General Hospital and undergo many iterations and address changes through the coming decades. But at the time of Patty's birth, her parents were not in need of philanthropy, and they lived in Scarsdale, Westchester, New York, some distance away, but still a fairly direct journey by train and bus or taxi. Perhaps her father was among the philanthropists, and wanted to visit his wife frequently during her probable one-month stay. Patty was the fourth of four children born to her parents. The gap between her brother, born 1908, and her sister Paula, "Polly", born 1919, was because of five pregnancies that had ended in miscarriage.

In the 1925 census, Patricia (age 4) appears as a daughter of J Mitchell Thorsen in Eastchester, Westchester. The family, including both parents, two sisters and a brother, was residing at the Hotel Gramatan.^[1]

In the 1930 census, Patty (age 9) was living with her father, J Michell Thorsen, her mother, and three siblings in Bronxville, Westchester, New York, United States. They lived in Alger Court, North Gate.^[2] Their apartment was across the dead-end street - Lake Ave - from where she would eventually live in the Rivermere apartments, and right on Bronxville Lake.

Patty's eldest sister, Dale, aged 23, was married by this time, and no longer living at home.

In the 1940 census, Patty (age 19) was the single daughter of James M Thorsen in Yonkers, Westchester, New York, United States.^[3]

Patty attended the Bronxville School from kindergarten to graduation from high school in 1939. Her actual kindergarten year was spent in Paris under the supervision of a nanny who would not allow the children to speak English past the one time, preceded by "Que veut dire ... (How does one say) or Qu'est-ce que c'est ... (What is ... )? This resulted in a six-year-old returning to Bronxville,^[4] unable to speak English sufficient to gain admittance to the first grade. Ergo, she repeated kindergarten. Whatever stigma may have attached to that, it was reinforced in high school when she, the formerly bi-lingual seven-year-old, could not learn a foreign language, leading to taking several typing courses. Late in the game, perhaps after graduation, she learned that she had a hearing loss due to otosclerosis. She was working at Stern's, a Macy's type department store, and her supervisor, it turns out, was getting complaints from customers that the clerk (Patty), just didn't seem to be comprehending their needs, no matter how many times they were stated. Through this and that, she went to a hearing specialist who diagnosed her and gave her a hearing aid. It turns out that her brother had the same problem, though when it was diagnosed is unknown. His draft registration in 1941, aged 32, indicates that he was "slightly deaf".

Patty was mentioned in the The Courier-News on 3 April 1941 in Bridgewater, New Jersey.^[5] She married Louis Duval "Pat" Strong on 31 Jan 1941 in Yonkers, Westchester, New York.^[6] They had their first child in Bronxville Apr 1942. The first peacetime draft system in the United States was inaugurated on 14 Sep 1940. It required all men between the ages of 21 and 36 to register. Pat would turn 21 in Nov 1941. As the war in Europe accelerated, modifications were made to the law, and after the United States entered the war on 7 Dec 1941, the minimum age was pushed back to 18. Pat enlisted in the Marines about February or March 1942. Such were the circumstances under which Pat and Patty embarked on parenthood. Their second child was born in 1943, and she didn't meet her father until after the war, about nine months before the third daughter would meet him in Nov 1946.

At some point either just before the war or during it, Patty had a job with Birds Eye. She would tell her children it was the first frozen food plant ever. However, the article "Introduction of Frozen Foods: A Timeline"^[7] explains that it wasn't quite the first but nonetheless important.

Patty established a child care drop-in center, meant to give young mothers an opportunity to find an hour or two for themselves or to do some marketing.

Patty's fourth daughter was born in Bronxville in 1950. About a year and a half later, the family moved to Vienna, Fairfax, Virginia to a simple frame house with a big yard. In the back of the property stood an old chicken coop and in back of that was a supermarket whose front door was on Maple Ave., the main street in town. Patty cleared away brush and worked to create an unimpeded path between her house and the grocery store. Next task was to clean out the chicken coop and establish a second-hand consignment shop called "The Stork Exchange" specializing in baby furniture. It became quite popular, and grew impressively, especially after one customer who had a playpen for sale would not consign it to Patty's care unless she also accepted the cartons of gently used clothes she had brought with her. The success of the shop led to several moves in order to accommodate the attendant growth. Initially meant to provide pin money for a mom with four children, and then five, it eventually became the single source of income that sustained the family.

She became ill with rheumatic fever on Christmas Day 1956. Her illness, followed by divorce, were challenges to be sure, and even required that she send some of her children to live with their grandmother. Patricia was officially divorced from Louis Duval Strong on 17 July 1958 in Fairfax, Virginia, United States, although the couple had separated the previous October.^[8]

She struggled to keep the shop for a few more years, then she sold it and became a real estate agent which showed some promise that never materialized. One year, Patty left the family nest to become a governess to two sets of twins. It was during that year that she met her second husband, John F. "Jack" Roche, whom she married on 3 Aug 1963. They bought a home in Melville, Suffolk, New York where the youngest three children managed to finish high school. During this time, she had surgery that restored her hearing, although it worsened a bit as time went on.

Patty had a beautiful soprano singing voice. Her hearing difficulties did not prevent her from singing in the church choir or joining Sweet Adelines, the ladies barbershop singing organization with chapters all over the country.

They moved to Texas, where they both died, Jack in Mar 1999 and Patty in Jan 2006.

Sources

1. ↑ 1925 Census: "New York, U.S., State Census, 1925"
   New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 07; Assembly District: 01; City: Eastchester; County: Westchester; Page: 17; Line Number: 18
   Ancestry Record 2704 #17019678 (accessed 25 October 2023)
   Patricia Thorsen (4) daughter in household of T Mitchell Thorsen (45) in Eastchester, Westchester. Born in USA.
2. ↑ 1930 Census: "United States Census, 1930"
   citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T626; Line: 49; Digital film/folder number: 004952245; FHL microfilm: 2341393; Image number: 609; Sheet number: 9; Sheet letter: A; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N03939-8
   FamilySearch Record: X4GQ-VW8 (accessed 24 October 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 33SQ-GRZY-FV5
   Patricia Thorsen (9), single daughter, in household of J Michele Thorsen (48) in Bronxville, Westchester, New York, United States. Born in New York.
3. ↑ 1940 Census: "United States Census, 1940"
   citing Affiliate Publication Number: T627; Line: 58; Digital film/folder number: 005459482; Image number: 156; Sheet number: 61; Sheet letter: B
   FamilySearch Record: KQB4-CPR (accessed 24 October 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-89MB-4SGF
   Patricia Thorsen (19), single daughter, in household of James M Thorsen (58) in Yonkers, Westchester, New York, United States. Born in New York.
4. ↑ Passenger List: "New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957"
   The National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at and Departing from Ogdensburg, New York, 5/27/1948 - 11/28/1972; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715, 1897-1957
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7488 #2000222605 (accessed 25 October 2023)
   Name: Petsy Thorsen; Gender: Female; Marital Status: Single; Age: 6; Birth Date: 16 Feb 1921; Other Birth Place: New York; Departure Port: Cherbourg,France; Arrival Date: 25 Apr 1927; Arrival Port: New York, New York, USA; Ship Name: Carmania.
5. ↑ 1941 Newspaper: "Newspapers.com"
   The Courier-News (Bridgewater, New Jersey) Thu, Apr 3, 1941, page 14
   Newspapers Clip: 134004258 (accessed 24 October 2023)
6. ↑ Marriage: "New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-1967"
   New York State Department of Health; Albany, NY, USA; New York State Marriage Index; Certificate Number: 13074
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61632 #7717022 (accessed 26 October 2023)
   Patricia Thorsen marriage to undefined on 31 Jan 1941 in Yonkers, New York, USA.
7. ↑ "Introduction of Frozen Foods: A Timeline", published in Supermarket News
8. ↑ Divorce: "Virginia, U.S., Divorce Records, 1918-2014"
   Virginia Department of Health; Richmond, Virginia; Virginia Divorce Records, 1918-2014; Certificate Number: 1958003682
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 9280 #208344 (accessed 24 October 2023)
   Patricia I Strong divorce from Louis Duval Strong on 17 Jul 1958 in Fairfax, Virginia, USA.

• Birth Certificate
• Death Certificate
• Social Security Death Index
• Personal recollection of events witnessed by Sandi Strong.