Obituary: Angelina “Angie” (Berardini) DesRochers, 92, The Dalles
Angelina DesRochers
Angelina “Angie” (Berardini) DesRochers passed away on April 16th, 2023 at the age of 92 at the Oregon Veterans Home in The Dalles, Oregon.
Angie was a pillar of The Dalles’ downtown business community, owning Hampton Furniture for over 55 years.
She was well known for her work ethic.
When her husband Donald passed away in 1981 after a hard-fought battle with lung cancer, she took over the business while simultaneously raising her children. She worked seven days a week at the business throughout most of her career helping customers - ordering furniture, staging the showrooms and generally keeping everything operating smoothly.
She eventually purchased the vacant Williams Building in 1992 at 306 E 2nd Street, which is its current location. She subsequently renamed it the DesRochers Building.
She was a humble and non-judgmental woman who did not need to be the center of attention or be recognized for all of the good deeds that she did for her family and the community of The Dalles, both of which she loved so much. In her limited spare time, she enjoyed gardening, landscaping and tending to her rose garden. One of her favorite pastimes was watching sporting events with her family.
She was born to Pasquale Berardini and Stella Gasparro on December 16th, 1930 in San Diego, California, the youngest of seven children. Her parents immigrated from Bari Italy and spoke minimal English. As a child, she used to stomp grapes barefoot when her father needed assistance in making bootlegged wine. She graduated from Hoover High School in 1948.
She married the love of her life, Donald Edward DesRochers, on November 12th, 1949 while he was serving in the US Navy. They moved to The Dalles in 1950 shortly after Donald finished his military service. The couple had five children Donna, Gary, Doug, Paul and David. The family later purchased Hampton Furniture in 1967, and the business continues to be run by her youngest son, David.
Retailing furniture was a big part of her life; she was an instrumental part of the founding members of the Pacific Furniture Dealers, a major furniture-buying group in the Northwest. She remained working in the business until the COVID pandemic in March of 2020 when she was 89. She was an amazing mother, grandmother, community member and friend and an all-around good person. In her passing, she left behind a family that hopes to make her proud by continuing the legacy she has built.
Angie is survived by her daughter Donna; two sons Gary (Cathy), David (Sheri) and Daughter in law Sharlene (Doug); 6 grandchildren - Moe DesRochers, Lily Pennington, Keith DesRochers, Kelli Ledeen, Lori Lopez, Katelyn DesRochers, Dylan DesRochers and Erica Tursich, 8 great-grandchildren and loving nephew Bart Curiale.
Angie was preceded in death by her husband Donald DesRochers, sons Doug and Paul DesRochers great grandson, Solomon DesRochers, brothers Sam Berardini, Tony Berardini, Joe Berardini; and sisters Tonella Curiale, Stella Gentillalli and Dominica Nesbitt.
As per Angie’s wishes, there will be a private family memorial.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Heart Association.
