Edward Roche's professional and personal life in Auckland was characterised by integrity, quiet determination and persistence and by diverse interests and achievements. He was born in Auckland, his mother Amy Purchas the daughter of Arthur Guyon Purchas, Anglican Priest and pioneer medical practitioner in New Zealand, and his father Henry a civil engineer. His education was at St John's Collegiate School and Auckland Grammar School. He began his medical studies at Guy's Hospital in London but these were soon interrupted in 1914 by the war. He served with the Royal Garrison Artillery in France with the rank of Captain, was wounded and was awarded the Military Cross. He returned to medicine and on graduation was house surgeon at Guy's from 1926 to 1927 and from 1928 to 1929 at Auckland Hospital.

In 1929 he married Barbara Hay Henry, herself a medical graduate. He then began general practice in Mt. Eden and in 1931 was appointed assistant physician to Auckland Hospital. In 1936 he became visiting physician to Green Lane Hospital and gradually confined his interests to cardiology. Together with Sir Douglas Robb and Chisholm McDowall (qv) FRACP he laid the foundations of the excellence in cardiology that evolved at Green Lane. As was the rule of the day he retired from the hospital service aged sixty but continued his consulting practice and his many interests.

For the College he was a member of the Dominion Committee, elected councilor from 1957 to 1960, New Zealand vice-president from 1960 to 1962 and a long serving member of the NZ Board of Censors. He was president of the Auckland Division of the BMA in 1961 and president for seven years of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. A major contribution to medicine in Auckland was the establishment of the Postgraduate Medical Committee in the University of Auckland of which he was Chairman for many years and which evolved out of informal meetings for young physicians he arranged in his home. In his latter years and in spite of failing sight he maintained his longtime interest in and contribution to the history of medicine.

In spite of the limp from his wounded foot Edward Roche played tennis well into his sixties, entertaining younger colleagues at his home and led adventurous expeditions to the harbours in his boat in search of fish. He is reputed to have done a vigorous haka in the private dining room of the Australian Club when a visiting censor. He was a quiet, gentle man but with deceptive strength, determination and persistence, applying to all he did his own standard of perfection.