Lois Afton Roch

Lois Afton Roch

Lois Afton Roch, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister passed away peacefully after a brief illness at the age of 87 with her children by her side on March 7, 2022.

Afton was the epitome of elegance, beauty, and intellectual curiosity. She was a loving and supportive wife to her late husband, Dr. Lewis Marshall Roch II. They were the perfect pair with their zest for life, drive to make a difference, and a lifelong companionship to envy. Afton was also a wonderful example to her children and grandchildren for a life full of kindness and enthusiasm to pursue your passions.

Afton was known for her thirst for knowledge and spiritual awareness, constantly studying and experimenting with new age theories and philosophies. She could impress you with her knowledge about the arts and literature, history, philosophy, spirituality, religion, and more. She exemplified the meaning of life-long learning, always reading and attending lectures or conferences. She enjoyed connecting with others and often brought people together by hosting discussion groups at home.

She had a love for understanding people, and an uncanny ability to connect with animals. With her love for animals and nature, Afton created a unique animal sanctuary and nature preserve on her 60-acre homestead in Muncie, Indiana.

As a child, Afton was always bringing home wild animals as pets. One of her favorites was a baby skunk that she adopted and raised in her own bedroom. This was only the beginning of a lifelong love for the animal, and the first of many skunks she would bring into her home. As an adult, she became known in the local community as “The Skunk Lady,” advocating for and rescuing dozens of local wild skunks. She often rescued injured or orphaned skunks and nursed them back to health before releasing them into the wild. However, she often fell in love with her rescues and as a result kept many in her house as cherished pets. Over the years, she cared for at least 19 named pet skunks.

Afton, a 4th generation Texan, was born on July 20, 1934 in Sweetwater, Texas. She was very proud of her Texas heritage as her great-grandmother was born in the Republic of Texas when Texas was a sovereign state. Afton lived in 14 different homes, mostly in Texas, by the time she graduated high school. As a child, she lived in Sweetwater (1934-1935), Abilene (c1936), Cleburne (c1940), Evant (c1941-1942), and Austin (c1942-1946), Texas.

Afton shared many stories of her childhood during the Great Depression. She remembers the outhouse at her Evant home before her father and uncle built an indoor bathroom. In one Austin home, the well ran dry, leaving the family with no running water for cooking or bathing. They filled buckets at a nearby well and drove back to the house with the sloshing buckets of water. They heated the water on a stove and chopped wood by hand. For much of Afton’s early childhood, she was barefoot, because she had no shoes. When she started school, they scavenged shoes and clothing from others’ trash. They raised chickens for eggs and cows for milk and meat, had a mule used to plow sugar cane and corn, and grew vegetables behind the house.

To find gainful employment, her family moved to Jackson, Mississippi (c1947-1949) where she attended Catholic school and enjoyed Latin classes. Here she learned to appreciate the Classics, Philosophy, and Religion. The family later moved back to Texas, moving to San Marcos (1949) briefly before her parents purchased an 1878 ranch house in Kyle, Texas (c1950-1955). While living in Kyle, Afton attended and graduated from San Marcos High School (1952).

Afton met her husband and soulmate, L. Marshall Roch II, as a sophomore at The University of Texas. They were at a Christian Faith and Life Community retreat on Lake Buchanan when she spotted Marshall and knew immediately that he was the man she intended to marry. The couple married at Austin’s University Methodist Church on June 24, 1955, only 20 days after Marshall graduated from The University of Texas.

Afton and Marshall then moved to Dallas (1955-1959) and started to raise a family while Marshall attended medical school. Upon completion of medical school, the family moved to Boston (1959-1960) for an internship, and then to New Orleans (1960-1963) for a residency. Subsequently, they moved to Bellevue, Washington (1963-1967), followed by a final move to Muncie, Indiana (1967-2022) where they built a fine life and medical practice and eventually retired.

Afton was an avid traveler and enjoyed traveling extensively in the United States and internationally with her husband, Marshall. Their trips included England, France, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Turkey, India, Kenya, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, Bahamas, West Indies, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and China.

Lois Afton Roch, was born to Holland Young “HY” Price, Jr. and Lois Ruth (Pollard) Price. The family always loved the fact that together their names are “HY and Lois Price.” Ironically, Marshall and Afton were each named after their parents and as a result, went by their middle names throughout their lives. Had they gone by their first names, they would have been known as “Lewis and Lois Roch.”

In addition to her parents, Afton was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Dr. Lewis Marshall Roch II, Muncie, Indiana; brother Wendell Burke Price of Kyle, Texas; and Holland Young Price III of Santa Anna, Texas.

Afton is survived by children Lewis Marshall Roch III and wife Susan of North Hampton, New Hampshire, and Dr. Katrina Ann Roch Seitz and husband Dr. David E. Seitz of Indianapolis, Indiana; grandchildren Lewis Marshall Roch IV and wife Jessica of Winchester, Massachusetts, Stephanie Danielle Roch of Charlestown, Massachusetts, and Eric Matthew Roch of Cedar Park, Texas; great-grandchildren Lewis Marshall Roch V, Christopher Andrew Roch, and Alex Mary Roch; brothers David Lawrence Price of Mexico, Patrick Webb Price of San Marcos, Texas, and Timothy Michael Price of Austin, Texas; nine nieces and nephews; 14 grand nieces and nephews; and numerous Roch family in-laws.

There will be a private family service at Washington Park North Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana. Online condolences can be made at flannerbuchanan.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Animal Rescue Fund (ARF), 1209 W. Riggin Road, Muncie, IN 47304 or www.munciearf.com.