Marcia Roach

Marcia E. Roach, 78, wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great grandmother, care provider, mentor, and dear friend died peacefully on Saturday August 20, 2016 at Rose Arbor Hospice Care in Kalamazoo MI. She was diagnosed with pancreatic stage four cancer nearly 41 months prior. Her doctors described her as a miracle. Marcia was born and raised in Grand Rapids MI where as a young adult she was crowned Miss Grand Rapids, acknowledged on stage with a kiss from our future President Gerald R. Ford, a memory that she fondly carried with her all of her life. Her career which spanned over 50 years was as a childcare provider. She loved babies, helping to raise and care for hundreds of kids over the decades, most now having children and families of their own. Marcia always offered a kind ear of support to all of her extended family. When asked which of the hundreds of kids her favorites were over the years, she simply smiled and said "all of them". She provided an environment of warmth and giving, one of her kids recently wrote: "Made to order breakfast service does not exist in the real world...Marcia's house was a special place, like Neverland in Peter Pan". Marcia also taught her that "A grilled cheese sandwich CAN fix anything and every meal ends in dessert". Others fondly recall the wonderful special morning white toast that somehow only she could make the right way. Some of the things Marcia loved true were: Babies, Children, Flowers, Birthday Parties, Holidays, Champagne, the clearance rack at Macy's, QVC, Casinos, Penny Quick Hit Slots, Ice-cream, The Washington Redskins, and let's not forget the Ronnie McDowell concerts hitting all of the casinos along the way. Marcia was preceded in death by her beloved husband H. Lee Roach and her brother Ronald. She is survived by her four sons; Dale and (Kathy), David and (Cindy), Jeffery and (Peggy), Jerry and (Paula). Grandchildren Kayla, Kourtney, Brandon and great grandchildren Wyatt and Tyler. Her siblings Beverly, Walter, and Donna. Marcia will join Lee in a final resting place at Fort Custer National Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in her memory to Rose Arbor Hospice 5473 Croyden Avenue Kalamazoo MI, 49009. The family asks that you spend time with your children, smile a lot, always be kind and help others, take a walk with a loved one, toast enduring friendships lifelong and beyond. And always take the time to enjoy dessert at the end of a meal. That is what Marcia would wish.