LEWISTON — Anne LaRocca, 94, a resident of St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion in Lewiston, passed away peacefully Wednesday, March 8.
She was born in Lewiston on Nov. 26, 1922, to John Liarakos and Stella Bezantakos Liarakos, and graduated from Lewiston High School in 1940.
After working for the federal Office of Price Administration in Augusta for three years during World War II, Anne moved to New York City to attend Paine Hall School to become a medical assistant. She graduated from Paine Hall in 1946 as class salutatorian; the graduation ceremony was held at the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, where Anne gave the graduation address while standing at the same podium used by the church’s senior minister, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.
On Dec. 22, 1951, Anne married Daniel A. LaRocca in New York City. They had two children, a daughter, Lynda Anne, and a son, Nicholas Dante. After moving to Wayne, N.J., with her family, Anne became active in the local Women’s Club and the local chapter of Professional Secretaries International.
In 1982, Anne became a certified professional secretary. The following year, she was named “Secretary of the Year” by Professional Secretaries International. Anne was also selected by Bamberger’s for inclusion in its “Gallery for Distinguished Women of New Jersey” because of her many civic activities.
Anne was employed for 14 years as a secretary and administrative assistant for Visiting Health Services of New Jersey in Totowa, N.J.
Soon after retiring in 1987, Anne returned to Maine. She lived at Old Carriage Estates in Auburn until 2013, when she moved to Montello Heights Retirement Community in Lewiston.
Anne served as a volunteer in area elementary school reading programs and nursing home visitation groups. She was a member of AARP and the Woman’s Literary Union, and served as a corporator at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Anne was also an active member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lewiston, where she worked on bake sales, the annual church festival and other fundraisers.
She is survived by her son, Dante, his wife, Seval, and their four children, her beloved grandchildren, Alessandra, Ariana, Isabella and Nicholas, all of New York; daughter, Lynda LaRocca and her husband, Stephen M. Voynick of Colorado; three sisters, Bessie Hildreth and Tonie Ramsey of Maine and Joanne Liaros of New York; a half-sister, Stella Kontrafouris of New Jersey; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Anne was predeceased by her parents; two brothers, Steve and Charles Liarakos; a sister, Cecile D’Amour; and brothers-in-law, Joe D’Amour, Pete Ramsey, Tony Hildreth and Harry Liaros.
