Rochelle Fleming
In Memory of
Rochelle Marie Diana "Ginger"
Fleming (Novak)
1936 - 2019
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Bibber Memorial Chapel
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Obituary for Rochelle Marie Diana "Ginger" Fleming (Novak)

Rochelle (Ginger) Fleming passed away January 10, 2019 with her loving husband of 61 years at her side at York Hospital, York, ME after a one-year struggle with peritoneal cancer. Rochelle was born August 10, 1936 to parents, Helen and James Novak in Lawrence, MA. She was educated in St. Mary’s elementary and high schools and MacIntosh Business School.

She married her childhood sweetheart, William Fleming, in 1957 as soon as they finished college. They built a new house in Salem, NH where they lived for 13 years. During that time, she worked at various accounting positions for Hamblet Machine Co. and others. In summers, they visited the Fleming family Wells beach house and regularly cruised the Maine coast from their boat moored in York Harbor. Rochelle especially loved vacation cruises and always looked forward to visiting small harbors up and down the coast, newly discovered and old favorites. In the winter, she enjoyed skating, and loved snowmobiling passionately and was always ready for a trek, nights or weekends.

In 1971, the Flemings sold all their property, left their jobs and moved to St. Petersburg, FL to start life over. After a couple of years, Rochelle got bored and took a job as a clerk in the Pinellas County Court system, just for something to do. One of her duties was performing marriages, which delighted her. She inserted poems and other romantic touches of her own into each ceremony to improve the experience for the bride and groom. Soon, her skill, talent and magnetic personality propelled her into a long, satisfying and rewarding career in senior management and retirement 25 years later.

She was a person with a bold and warm outgoing personality, cheerful and gregarious with friends and total strangers. She demonstrated her unselfish interest and concern for other people over and over all her life. Her force of personality was extremely strong. She has made her mark. Wherever she has been, people remember her.

She is survived by her husband, William P. Fleming, of St. Petersburg; a sister, Carol Novak Rainer, of Pembroke, MA; cousin, Jack Jeffrey of Pepeekeo, Hawaii; and cousins, Kimberly Ashton and Joanne Simpson of FL. Interment in Ocean View Cemetery, Wells, ME will be held at a later date.
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