Marlene J. Rocca

After a long fight, Marlene Rocca, beloved wife of Alfred and mother of Christine, Tracy, Jennifer and Angela, lost her battle with melanoma on July 30, 2019.  She was 80 years young and passed away peacefully in her home on Youngwood Turn in Bowie, Maryland where she and Al had raised their family and resided for 53 years.  She was born in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania on October 16, 1938 and grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb as the youngest child of John and Lola Benson.

A job with the federal government took her to Washington, D.C. in 1959 where she met a young Army enlisted man from New York City, Al Rocca, whom she married in May of 1963.  Before eventually becoming a stay-at-home mom to her 4 daughters, Marlene worked for the Department of the Navy, NASA Office of Manned Spaceflight and the Small Business Administration.  After raising her family, she returned to the workforce first as an entrepreneur, opening New York City Shoes in Bowie and then as a retail merchandiser.  She loved working as a Revlon merchandiser and did so until her health forced her to retire in 2014.

Marlene was strong in her faith and was a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Bowie for 53 years.  She was an active member of the Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary for many years and served as president of that organization in the late 1970s.  She also volunteered as the Knights of Columbus facility rental coordinator for many years.

She was an avid sports fan, often cheering on the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Capitals, eventually the Washington Nationals – and always Team USA.  She passed that love of sports and competition on to her 4 girls.  Marlene loved to cook, she loved good wine, her adventurous nature gave her a love of travel but she lived for her family.  Known to her daughters’ friends as ‘Mama Rocca’, her house was always the gathering place with an open-door policy.

Marlene is survived by her husband of 56 years, Al Rocca, her 4 daughters – Christine and husband, Kevin Murphy; Tracy and husband David Weikart; Jennifer and husband Gregg Sexton; and Angela.  She is also survived by her 4 beloved grandchildren, Gabriel Weikart, Benjamin Weikart and Kyra and Alec Sexton. 

Given Marlene’s love of her country and our Armed Forces, in lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675 or Tunnel to Towers, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, New York 10306.