Bernard Roch Heroux

Bernard Roch Héroux, September 13, 1935 – November 21, 2020

"The quality of a father can be seen in the goals, dreams, and aspirations he sets not only for himself, but for his family." Reed Markham

Bernard Roch Héroux was born on September 13, 1935, as the fourth son of Ovila and Jeanne Héroux. Two other sons and a daughter followed, making our dad the middle child of the family. According to dad, he was actually born on September 12, 1935, but someone mistakenly wrote September 13th on his birth certificate. In 1935, September 13th was a Friday … Dad never saw himself as a "lucky" man. Of course, he counted himself blessed to have married his sweetheart, Denise Proulx, and having had five healthy and successful children. However, in his efforts to achieve an economic status that would allow him to go well beyond simply providing for his family, he never felt that luck was on his side. The end result of his hard work, relentless efforts to be an expert in his profession and achieve success in life, is not found in his bank account. The real evidence of his success can be found in his marriage of 64 years, the quality of the five children that he and his sweetheart raised, the accomplishments that each one has achieved, and the families that they have created. The dream of every immigrant crossing into the USA, is to reach for the "great American dream", so that their children, and their children's children, can enjoy a better life. By those accounts, that skinny, 17-year old immigrant from Quebec, Canada achieved that dream.
Raised on a dairy farm for the better part of his childhood, he never saw himself as the farmer-type. As it turns out, his father decided that he too didn't like farming, and eventually pursued other means to make a living, including buying a bakery. Based on how dad shared this story, it was clear that becoming a baker really peaked his interest, and he dreamed of having his own bakery one day. Unfortunately, his father's bakery business was short-lived, as the bakery burnt down within a couple of years of buying it.

At the age of 17, with the bakery dream shattered, he decided to join his uncle Bruno in Rochester, NY, as a masonry apprentice. In order to earn more money, he also did landscaping and other odd jobs on the side. Despite not speaking the language, he was driven to do whatever it took to achieve success, even at the expense of his own health. He had left behind his sweetheart in South Durham, Quebec, to establish a career, achieve financial independence, with the goal of returning to obtain Alfred Proulx's blessing to marry his eldest daughter.

In 1956, one of this "odd job" employers saw something in this hardworking, skinny French Canadian, and he offered him a job as an apprentice in his printing company. Lithographic printing quickly became a new career passion for dad and he did everything he could to learn the business and achieve success. By 1971 he became the pressroom superintendent at Monroe Litho, Inc. He successfully served in this role for 20 years, with the last 12 years at Hammer Lithograph Corporation.
Despite never finishing high school, in many ways he was a relentless student, attending college classes at Rochester Institute of Technology, reading books on business process efficiency and quality control, and mastering the art of creating and matching ink colors. He impressed the importance of hard work and education on each of his children, insisting that they apply themselves in school and go on to obtain a college degree. He was very proud that each of his children took his advice to heart, obtained their bachelor degrees, and for three of them, completing master degrees in business, special education, and technology.

The pride that he had in each of his children continued to build as they established themselves in their respective careers, got married, and raised their own children. He was ultimately blessed with thirteen grandchildren (Jonathan, Nicole, Elise, Michelle, Brandon, Jon Pierre, Evan, Jake, Francis, Nadine, Juliana, Eva, and Lucia), and seven great-grandchildren (Zachariah, Zoe, Matthew, Jayden, Blake, Harper, and Parker) with one more on the way. This is the legacy that Bernard R. Héroux, Sr. leaves behind! A legacy that will continue to grow for decades to come!

In many ways, our dad was a very social person. He loved to kid around and make people laugh. He served as president of the French-Canadian Club, treasurer of the Country Twirlers Square Dancing Club, and was a member of the Board of Governors for the Rochester Craftsman Club. He also volunteered for the Police and Citizens Together Against Crime program (PAC-TAC), for several years. He enjoyed playing games, especially cards (Four Kings in a Corner), Dominoes, and Checkers. In his prime he was a good tennis player, always frustrating his opponents with his unreachable backspin shots across the net. He also enjoyed golf, and mastered the ability to find countless golf balls in the woods – the geographic areas of any golf course where you would be most likely to find him.

Dad was predeceased by: his wife of 64 years, Denise (July 1, 2020); his brothers Clement, Marcel, Jean Claude and Remi; and his parents, Ovila and Jeanne. He continues to be remembered by: his children, Danielle (Eric) Zielinski, Pierre (Karen), Paul (Linda), Jacqui (Bill) Penwell, and Bernard Jr. (Vilmarie); his brother, Roland (Monique); his sister, Grace (Steve); his thirteen grandchildren; and his seven (+1) great grandchildren.

Our father did not do anything unusual. He did what fathers are supposed to do – be present, set the example, and provide for the family. We take comfort in knowing that he is now reunited with his sweetheart, and together, they will continue to watch over their growing family. You deserve to rest in peace dad, because in spite the tough times, you persevered and achieved the best parts of your American dream!

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to: Alzheimer's Association at alz.org



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