CEAP Founder Madeleine Roche Dies
The founder of CEAP and member of the Brooklyn Center Hall of Fame, Madeleine Roche, passed away this week. She was 92.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Roche worked to establish CEAP by uniting church groups and Brooklyn Center volunteers. The nonprofit’s first office was inside the St. Alphonsus Church Rectory.
“We are saddened to hear that Madeleine Roche, CEAP’s founder, has passed away,” said Clare Brumback, president of CEAP. “Madeleine had the idea for a community organization based on her belief that neighbors should be helping neighbors. Fifty years later, CEAP still bases our work on that belief, and we continue to be inspired by Madeleine’s generous spirit and dedication to community. We know she leaves behind a legacy of a life well-lived, and we are honored to be a part of her legacy.”
Roche moved to Brooklyn Center with her husband in 1964. Friends like Ernee McArthur remember Roche as a community-minded person with a positive attitude and a generous spirit.
After serving CEAP until 1980, she worked to develop the Minnesota Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program under Governor Al Quie.
The city inducted Roche into the Brooklyn Center Hall of Fame in 1990.
Full obituary posted here.
