December 14, 2020
Thomas “Tom” L. Roche, 86, unexpectedly passed away Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020.
A native Washingtonian, he was born in Washington, D.C., May 21, 1934, to James and Llewelyn Roche.
Tom was a Navy veteran of the Korean War and a lifetime member of the VFW of Ocean View.
He was married for 54 years to the love of his life, Jean (Pigott), who predeceased him in 2018. They raised their two daughters, Andrea Barron-Hughes, of Canton, Ga., and Karen (Gil) Briggs, of Olney, Md.
Tom had an extensive 38-year career at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., where he worked as an aerospace engineer. He received numerous awards including the Missile Defense Technology Pioneer Award for his work. During his time there, he was a member of the APL softball team, gun, golf, bowling and garden clubs.