He died too soon. At Tri-Cities Prep, his face lives on

Nancy and Mike Roach’s son Luke appears nestled in the arms of the Madonna.

His face holds the same peaceful expression each day at Tri-Cities Prep High School in west Pasco. When the light is just so, that face forms the center of a brilliant stained glass picture in the school’s St. Thomas Aquinas chapel.

Luke was 22 when he died in 2001. But with the help of a photo and the chance of a lifetime, his parents made sure his face would live forever.

“It couldn’t have been more perfect,” said Nancy, who is on the school’s board of directors and vice president of mission.

Nancy said that the chance came with the chapel’s construction, which started in 2012. The Roaches — a family with deep roots in Pasco — had been involved, including the family matriarch, Patricia Roach.

Nancy was chairwoman of the campaign to build the chapel.

When it came to the chapel’s stained glass, artist Patrick Clark had plans for all of the windows, and had asked for personalized touches from the family. But , Nancy said, there was one that was chosen just for teh woman fondly known as Pat.

It was a painting of the Madonna and baby Jesus by 17th century Italian artist Giovanni Sassoferrato. Nancy said Pat always had been fond of it.

“That’s what Grandma wanted,” Nancy said.

But Pat died shortly after the chapel construction campaign was started. She never got to see the window’s design.

So when Clark asked about a reference to use for baby Jesus’ face, the decision fell to Nancy.

It was a clear one for her — a photo of young Luke, from a collage for his 21st birthday. He’d also had a close relationship with Pat.

“I didn’t consult with the other siblings,” Nancy said. “I knew none would object, as he was the only one who would meet Patricia at the pearly gates.”

The photo was perfect. Luke’s face was at the right angle, Nancy said, and a simple mirroring of the image made him face the right way.

The window has other special touches — mouth-blown glass, Swarovski crystals in the Madonna’s halo. The motto below the image — all for the greater honor and glory of God — was Pat’s.

She often uttered it when she was telling any of her nine children to do something.

“ ‘Just be quiet and do it for the greater honor and glory of God.’ They all knew she meant business when she said that,” Nancy said.

But Luke’s face, at the center of the window, is the highlight.

It’s the first thing someone sees as they enter the chapel from the school side.

Luke’s face watches over the students, and he would have liked that, Nancy said. He always liked helping young people, inspiring them to make good decisions.

Despite that, Nancy said she’d never been asked before how she felt when she saw Luke in the window.

Reflecting, she said, “It just overwhelms me with gratitude for the gift of his life. That’s what fills my heart.”

This story was originally published December 24, 2017 at 1:26 PM with the headline "He died too soon. At Tri-Cities Prep, his face lives on."