Carnacon, Claremorris
John E. Roche
Son
Josie Igoe was born in Carnacon, Claremorris in 1928. She attended Clogher N.S. and stayed in 6 th class until she was 14 helping the headmaster teach the younger children. She then went to work for a shop before emigrating to Providence, RI at the age of 23. She was an administration manager for her uncle John Joyce who had several businesses in the area.
On a train trip back from Boston to visit friends, John Vincent Roche (Vincent) decided to stop in Providence and call Josie who he had dated for a while back in County Mayo. Josie met him with her brother Mike and he ended up staying over and the relationship was rekindled. They stayed in touch after he returned to the Bronx in New York.
Josie and Vincent were married on Valentine’s Day 1958 in Providence, R.I. and in 1964, Vincent set up shop as a barber on Broad Street in Providence. In 1959 they welcomed their daughter Anne followed by Mary in 1960. I was born in 1964 and James was born in 1966. Shortly before I arrived home from the hospital as a newborn, Josie and Vincent had bought a house in the Gaspee section of Warwick, RI. They lived there until 1970 and then returned to Ireland with their four children to run Vincent’s family farm. My sisters attended Balla Secondary school and my brother and I attended Belcarra N.S. Vincent worked full-time for Baxter Healthcare (formerly Travenol) maintaining the testing lab in nearby Castlebar in addition to farming.
Josie became ill in 1975 and we returned to America and lived in the Potowamut section of Warwick, RI. Sadly, she passed away from cancer in 1981. Besides Vincent, she left behind four children, two brothers and their families that had also emigrated to RI, her sisters and brother in Mayo and many, many friends. She also left behind a legacy of being a strong, smart woman, a loving person and someone who was a true advocate for her children until the end.