Michael Arthur Rochford (son of George and Lizzie)
3 September 1905, Leicester, England - 12 January 1966, Montreal, QC
Married Margaret “Madge” Dunne, 1928, Montreal  b: 18 Jul 1903, Lancashire, England  d: 15 Jan 1998, Montreal

Edward Rochford b: 25 Jan 1929, Montreal  d: 14 Apr 1995
Joan Rochford
Leonard Rochford
Rita Rochford
James Bruce Rochford b: 28 Apr 1934  d: 29 Apr 1998, St Luc Hospital, Montreal
Gordon Rochford b: 16 Sep 1937  d: May 1948, Montreal
Ann Rochford

Click here to view a detailed list of Michael and Madge’s descendants.

Leonard and Rita’s (4) Reminiscences, 2006

Our father, Michael Arthur Rochford (3) son of George and Lizzie emigrated to Canada from England at an early age. There were six brothers and sisters (that survived infancy). Dorothy, Margaret, Michael, Betty, George and Winnie.

On his first day of school his father asked him what he had learned and he repeated the alphabet in French. He had gone to the wrong school.

When he was 12 he went back to England and became a brother so that he could be a teacher. While there he had to take care of the cows. One kept jumping the fence so he added barbed wire and the poor cow tore all her udders on her next attempt. This didn’t go over very well.

He came back to Montreal for his father’s funeral and met Margaret Dunne, so remained there and taught school. They married and had seven children. Edward, Joan, Leonard, Rita, Bruce, Gordon and Ann.

Joan Barthos has two children, Leonard four, Rita two and Ann three. Edward, Gordon and Bruce are deceased with no offspring.

On Sunday afternoons Dad (Michael) always took us out so Mom could rest. We would visit Grandma (Lizzie) or the firehall or toboggan etc.

Summers were spent at St. Gabriel de Brandon (north of Montreal). Dad managed two camps and many of our relatives spent summers there. Leonard and I used to canoe up the river in the early morning and steal the farmer’s corn so we could have parties on the beach. We never knew my father was paying the farmer for it. At the end of summer Dad always arranged a hayride around the lake for all the cousins, then a bonfire, corn feed etc.

Money was tight but he spent all fall buying second hand items and re-doing them so we had wonderful Christmases. Every Sunday friends or relatives gathered at our home for cards. The children were included. Dad loved children and was a wonderful teacher. He died in 1966. The church was packed with former students and friends. We were very fortunate to have such wonderful parents.