Kenneth Bryan Roach

Kenneth Bryan Roach, of rural Thornton (on Roach Road), passed away Tuesday, August 7, 2012, at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, at age 79. Visitation will be Friday, August 10, from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. at the Groesbeck Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, August 11, 2012, at the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel, with Brother Richard Williams officiating. Burial will follow in the Thornton Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Mark Tietjen, Dan Hawkins, Terry Dustin Roach, Jerod Randall Roach, Ken Neyland, and Rand Bates. Kenneth was born September 7, 1932 to Knolie B. Roach and Emma Mae (Manning) Roach at the family home near Thornton. He attended school at Thornton two years, and then graduated from Groesbeck High School in 1951. Having lost his father at an early age, he grew up working at the Groesbeck Ice Plant during his high school years. He had been captain of the Groesbeck Goat Football Team and was voted “Most Handsome.” In school, he was given the nick-name Bobo, which he was known by the rest of his life. After high school, he worked for the Highway Department, and briefly attended Stephen F. Austin, until enlisting in the U. S. Marines in 1952. He served stateside in the Marines and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant in 1955. Kenneth moved to Dallas and worked at Braniff Airlines. He was united in marriage with Jo Emma Evans on May 7, 1966 in Fort Worth, and they made their home in Garland, until he retired from Braniff after twenty seven years. After his retirement, Kenneth and Jo moved to his grandfather, W. R. Roach’s home place near Thornton, where he raised cattle for many years. He also started his second career with Lone Star Gas, where he worked in Groesbeck and Teague over ten years. He enjoyed taking care of the ranch, watching football on TV, eating out, and reminiscing about people and places he had known all of his life. He was a loving and faithful caregiver for his wife Jo during her final years of life in the nursing home, going every day to feed and see about her. Kenneth was a member of the Church of Christ all his life. Kenneth was preceded in death by his parents; his oldest brother, Billy Joe Roach, who was killed at Okinawa during World War II; his three older sisters, Gloria Hawkins, Mary Will Tietjen, Margie Marcus; his niece, Robin (Roach) McMinn; and his wife, Jo Roach in 2006. He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, David Wilson Roach and wife Janie of Groesbeck; brother and sister-in-law, Terry Don Roach and wife Angie of Groesbeck; step-daughters, Kacky Carroll-Owens and husband Don of Fruitvale (and her daughters Keisha Campbell and Kasey Campbell and granddaughter, Lexy Campbell, and step-daughter, Tina Koonce and husband Donny and their two children, Jody and wife AJ Intlehouse, and Jennifer and husband Nathan White), and Jan Ritchie of Crandall (and her daughter Nikki Ritchie and new grandchildren, twins Adelyn and Josie); eight nieces and nephews (and their spouses), David Roach of California, Rene Coker and Michelle Henson both of Robinson, Mark Tietjen of Flower Mound, Debbie Lunn of Montgomery, Jan Norman of Arlington, Dan Hawkins of Arlington, and Terry Randall “Randy” Roach of Groesbeck; as well as many great and great-great nieces and nephews, cousins, and other extended family.