Pamela J. Rochowiak, 63, died Aug. 18, 2011, at Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Rochowiak was born June 14, 1948, in Chicago, Ill., to Joseph Rochowiak and Anna Zielinski.
She moved to Vero Beach in 1970 to begin her career in education.
Rochowiak was an English, speech, drama and debate teacher for Indian River Schools including at Vero Beach Junior and High Schools and Sebastian River High School until her retirement in 2000.
She was a theatre enthusiast, often directing and performing in plays in musicals throughout South Florida, and was a member of the: Theatre Guild, Pineapple Playhouse, Theater-Go-Round; Encore Alley, Treasure Coast Opera Society and Riverside Theatre.
Rochowiak was a member of: the Florida Gulf Chapter of the Ninety-Nines, the International Organization of Women’s Pilots, the Polish Genealogy Interest Group, and St. Helen’s Parish and Choir. She also performed in a number of choral community groups in Indian River County.
Rochowiak attended the University of Illinois, Chicago, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre.
Survivors include her three poodle-daughters Shirelle, Charmagne and Sheree; Uncle Robert Zielinski, of Melbourne; niece Laura Slagter, of Naperville, Ill.; and cousin Susan Hussey, of Norridge, Ill.
A gathering of family and friends will be held 5-6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, with a memorial service to follow at 6 p.m. at Thomas S. Lowther Funeral Home & Crematory, Vero Beach.
Memorial donations can be made to the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County, P.O. Box 644, Vero Beach, Florida, 32961.
