Dates
Shirley Dyches Roach lived life with love and grace, with God and family as the centerpiece. She celebrated the quiet moments as fully as milestone events and could be counted on regularly to set up a lunch date, bake the birthday cake, study the Bible and play the piano for church services.
She died of a brain aneurysm on June 22, a month shy of her 81st birthday.
Shirley gave freely to others and was incredibly active in life. At the time of her passing Shirley worked part time at Cross Texas Supply, was a church treasurer, volunteered at Meals on Wheels with the Lady Lions, regularly contributed to the Concho Valley Home for Girls and for the last two decades has taken care of an elderly friend in need. Shirley could be found at least once a week taking a trip to the park or to get a treat with her great-granddaughter.
She is survived by her husband, Leon Roach; her daughter, Tineva A. Dyches; her son, Jay Dyches and wife Becky; her grandchildren, Kayla Matthews and husband Mickey, Ashley Dyches, and Coby Dyches and fiancée Krysten Sarbach; her great-grandchildren, Kallyn and Stetson Matthews, all of San Angelo; and by her sister, Ginger Rothe, and husband Ron Robertson of Austin.
She is also survived by her stepchildren and their families, for whom she immediately expanded her circle of family and loved. They are Leon Roach Jr and wife Shannon, granddaughters Shelby, Darby, and Kaci Roach all of San Angelo, Tony Roach and wife Karen of Odessa.
A lifelong West Texan, Shirley Ann was born July 23, 1937, in San Angelo, to Jim and Geneva Wilhite. She graduated from San Angelo High School and attended San Angelo College.
On Leap Day in 1956 she married Bill Dyches, who preceded her in death in 2004. They owned and operated Red River Riding Ranch on the arroyo where Lynn Alexander’s Autoplex is situated and raised their family there, in the outdoor life she relished. Her pride in her two children and their accomplishments was evident to anyone who knew her even slightly.
Her love of horses, the outdoors and action took her into barrel racing, and she ran her favorite horses, Mike and Teddy, to top times across the region. She joined her deep faith to the sport to help found Concho Valley Glory Racers and continued to compete into her 60s.
When grandkids came along, barrel racing took a backseat and the grandchildren continued to keep her young. Through the years, she remained thoroughly modern, keeping up with technology, social media and current events, and thinking hard about social issues. She modeled an active, independent woman whose determination and faith could move mountains.
She met Leon Roach in church and after many afternoons and endless conversations sitting in her front porch swing, the two fell in love and married, on July 9, 2009. Their life was defined by God and family. They worked side by side on church projects large and small, always helping others where they found a need.
Together they traveled, an interest she came to late in life but with her trademark enthusiasm. They loved working in their yard and together they made a beautiful garden. One of her prize plants was the rose called Fire and Ice, her father’s favorite.
A memorial service will be held at Harper’s Funeral Home on Wednesday June 27th at 4 p.m. For anyone so inclined, Mrs. Roach would have preferred charitable contributions to flowers. She particularly favored Meals for the Elderly, www.mealsfortheelderly.org, and the Concho Valley Home for Girls, www.conchokids.org.