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As received from the Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home:
UPDATE: A graveside service will take place Friday, July 28, 2023 at 1:00 pm in Lake View Cemetery in Calumet, Michigan officiated by Father Gracious.
Mary Pat LaRochelle, 84, a resident of Calumet passed away at her home on Thursday morning December 8, 2022 with her husband Gene by her side.
Mary Pat (“Patti”) was born on April 7, 1938, in Calumet the daughter to the late Joseph and Lucille (O’Brien) Harrington where she grew up amongst the many families and friends located along 6th Street, all of whom she would remember fondly until the day she passed.
After graduating from Calumet High School with the class of 1956, Patti went on to attend Suomi College where she earned a certificate in Business after which she would spend the next three years in Detroit working at Allstate Insurance. Patti would move back to the Copper Country after meeting her future husband, and on September 3, 1960, she was united in marriage to Eugene LaRochelle at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and together they would raise their family in Calumet.
After staying at home to mother her three children, Patti went back to work in 1980 as a Teller for D&N Bank in Calumet where she would unfailingly greet customers with a warm and welcoming smile until her retirement in 1998.
Patti’s retirement years were a mix of memorable trips to Europe, Hawaii, Lower Michigan, Colorado, and Ohio, and 10 years of respite from the Copper Country winters spent in Phoenix, AZ. Always considering Calumet her home, and realizing that there was no other place she would like to be, she would spend the remainder of her years full-time locally. Over the years, Patti volunteered her time at the local hospital, St. Paul the Apostle Church, local Visitor Centers, and numerous stints on the organizing committee for the Calumet-Sacred Heart All School Reunions.
Patti’s greatest joy was her family, which was blessed to include grandchildren that were the apple of her eye. There was nothing that grandma wouldn’t do, or a cake or batch of cookies that she wouldn’t bake just to see the smiles on her children’s, children’s friend’s, and grandchildren’s faces. Her family’s joy was her joy! Patti will be remembered for her warm, kind, and genuine spirit that she extended to all she met and will be missed by all that knew her.
Patti is survived by her loving husband of 62 years, Eugene, daughter Veronica of Denver, CO, son Chris (Dr. Dana Schaltz) of Cincinnati, OH, son Jerry of Minneapolis, MN, grandchildren, twins David and Jenna Rose, Brendan, Conor, and Julia, Sister-in-law Rosemarie Arnestad and nephew Jim of Phoenix, AZ along with numerous cousins and lifelong friends.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday December 15, 2022, at 11:00 AM at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Calumet with Fr. Gracious Pulimoottil to officiate.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday December 14, 2022, from 4-6 PM at the Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home in Calumet with a prayer service being held at 6:00 PM.
A springtime burial will take place in the Lake View Cemetery in Calumet.
Online condolences can be left for the family at ericksoncrowleypeterson.com
