Obituary of Loretta LaRoux

Loretta LaRoux, 92, passed away peacefully on Thursday evening, July 9, 2020, while visiting her son’s family in Riverside, Rhode Island. She was born on Flag Day, June 14, 1928, in Troy, NY, to Faustina (Florence) and Celestine Christopher, the last of 8 children. She attended Mechanicville schoolhouses until 11th grade, when she quit to help on the family farm. She eventually met and married Joseph S. LaRoux, from Troy, on March 25, 1951. They had a small wedding at Corpus Christi Church, Ushers, when it was part of the priest’s house, officiated by Rev. Charles Gaffigan. The Christopher family was one of the founding families of Corpus Christi, built in 1946. After what she always called an “amazing honeymoon” in New York City, she traveled with her Airman husband to Alaska, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Illinois and London. They returned to Halfmoon in 1959 and settled near the family farm. Loretta and Joe had two children – Judy (Bill) Mullins, Halfmoon, and Chris LaRoux (Dana Ryan), Riverside, Rhode Island. She has a granddaughter, Michelle LaRoux, and a step-granddaughter, Kim Mullins. Her nieces and nephews are Ross (Laurie) Christopher Jr., Cindy (Philip) Wagar, Julie (Todd) Kirkland, Pat Myers, Nancy Maiorano, and Judy Granger. Her ‘honorary’ sons are John Jr. and Ken Christopher and their families were like her own. She adopted many cousins at her table as well. Special thanks to cousin Joanne Lawton who made her feel extra special. She loved having family at her house. The coffee pot was always on. After her parents passed, Loretta became the matriarch of the family and she ‘demanded’ that events be at her house. She loved to cook and gather. She always had a canine companion and loved them dearly. She enjoyed driving on day trips, going to the casinos, and taking bus trips. If the wheels were moving, she was in the vehicle. She was a devout Catholic and patriotic, proud to have been born on Flag Day. She loved little children and worked in a daycare facility when stationed in New Mexico. After her husband became disabled, she worked in Nuremburg’s Shirt Factory in Troy; took the NYS entrance exam and worked until retirement in the Department of Motor Vehicles on Swan Street, Albany. In addition to her husband and her parents, she was predeceased by her brothers Dominick, Ross, Lawrence, Anthony, and Anthony; her sisters, Christine, and a baby sister who died at birth; and her dear friend, Norma Landry. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 AM on Friday, July 17, at Corpus Christi Church, 2001 Route 9, Round Lake (Ushers), officiated by Fr. F. Richard Lesser, Pastor, with a viewing hour beginning at 9 AM at the church. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Waterford. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Corpus Christi Church or to DAV (Disabled American Veterans) P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301. Arrangements have been entrused by the family to the Gordon C. Emerick Funeral Home, 1550 Route 9, Clifton Park, NY 12065.