Rochelle Mary Anne Pearce

Rochelle Pearce (nee Arnot) was born in Trail, BC to Fred and Mary (nee LePage) Arnot, with Italian roots on Fred’s side and French Canadian on Mary’s. Rochelle was only a few years old when the family moved to Nelson, BC on Kootenay Lake. Rochelle’s brother Wesley (Wes) was born there when Rochelle was five-years-old. Rochelle always thought of Nelson as her hometown and loved growing up there, enjoying each distinct season—swimming in the lake in summer and skating on it in the winter. She also fondly remembered having grandparents, aunts, uncles and many cousins and friends always around.

Rochelle attended St. Joseph's Catholic School in Nelson, then graduated from LV Rogers High School in 1956. She played piano and sang in the school choir in both elementary and high school. Her many part-time jobs during high school included working for a pop factory (the first girl to be employed there), a soda fountain, and the telephone company switchboard. Her memories are also full of social events and activities with friends.

In 1957, Rochelle moved to Victoria to enter St. Joseph's Hospital School of nursing, along with her cousin Gail LePage. They roomed together for 3 years and graduated as RNs in 1960. Rochelle met her husband John (Jack) Pearce on a blind date on New Year's Eve while in nurses training. Jack was working as a log scaler in Caycuse at the time and was in Victoria visiting his parents over Christmas. At the last minute, he extended his stay to attend the dance. A cousin, who was also in nursing, gave him a list of possible dates to choose from, and he thought “Rochelle” was the fanciest name, so picked her. They were married in Nelson on August 20th, 1960.

Rochelle and Jack set up their first home in a tiny cottage near Foul Bay in Victoria. They soon moved to Vancouver, where their first children were born, beginning with Jacquie in 1962, followed by David in 1964 and Joanne 1966. In the early years, Rochelle was a stay-at-home mom, as Jack often worked away from home until he transferred to Vancouver Island, and they moved to Duncan in 1968. Their youngest son, Jarrod, joined the family in Duncan in 1970. The four children attended Queen of Angels elementary school. These were busy, happy years, with Rochelle and Jack supporting the four kids in their many school, sports and other activities. Rochelle and Jack were also active members of St. Edwards Catholic Church and made many friends through the church over the years. Rochelle also valued her continuing friendships with people she met through high school, nursing and more recent activities (such as playing Bridge). Rochelle continued her interest in music, singing in church and community choirs, including the Polyphonic Singers, and most recently, the Duncan Choral Society.

With Jack working closer to home and the kids getting older, Rochelle took a nursing refresher course through Malaspina College and worked part-time at the Coleman clinic, then the Cowichan Lodge care home. Later, she worked with special needs students in the Cowichan school district. She also volunteered with Hospice, and felt it was a special gift to sit with people at the time of their death.

Although Rochelle had plenty to keep her busy, family always came first, and as her children grew up, Rochelle welcomed their spouses into the family. She was delighted when she became a grandmother and loved to spend time with her grandchildren, often bringing them a tin of home-made cookies and keeping her own cookie jar well-stocked. She also loved watching her grandchildren play sports whenever she could, and she was a fan of the Vancouver Canucks and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rochelle had a vibrant friendly smile and was always caring and welcoming, hosting many gatherings of friends and family, filling her home with love, laughter, food and music (often Hawaiian music in memory of Rochelle’s mother and their shared love of Maui). Christmas was a particularly special time. Rochelle was the embodiment of the Christmas spirit, enthusiastically decorating the house, frosting cookies, wrapping presents, jingling bells, weaving everything with spiritual celebration, and hoping for the arrival of snow like she experienced in her childhood.

With the children grown up and busy with families of their own, Rochelle and Jack were able to do some travelling. They went on several tours to Europe and the Middle East, and Rochelle spent a faith-filled month in Israel, which was always a highlight for her. Rochelle and Jack also had several holidays in Maui over the years, including a special trip in 2018 to celebrate their 80th birthday year where they were surprised to be joined by children and their spouses.

Rochelle also loved quiet moments and will be remembered for her love of nature and of reading. She appreciated both the beauty of sunsets and the exhilaration of lightning storms, and she especially enjoyed watching the backyard birds with the love of her life, Jack.

Rochelle passed away peacefully at Sunridge care home in Duncan, BC, November 8, 2024 at the age of 86. She will be greatly missed by her husband Jack, children Jacquie (Craig), David (Amanda), Joanne (Brian) and Jarrod (Jill), grandchildren Bailey, Jordan, Danielle, Tabitha, Brendan, Nicholas, Jasmine, Aidan, Jayne and Alyce, great-granddaughter Aveline, brother Wes Arnot (Barb), and many other relatives and good friends.

Join us for a celebration of Rochelle’s life at St. Edward Church 2085 Maple Bay Rd, Duncan, B.C on Saturday December 7, 2024 at 1:00 pm.