When snowbirds Rochelle Wise, 66, and her husband, 71-year-old David Pichosky, were not here in South Florida, they were back home in their native Toronto, Canada.
Six months after the couple was found dead of asphyxiation inside their Hallandale Beach vacation home, Wise is being remembered for her selfless devotion to children at the Crestwood Valley Day Camp near Toronto.
"We were blessed when Rochelle Wise was hired to be our founding director," said Bobby Freeman, who is the camp's co-director.
Crestwood Valley just unveiled its Rochelle Wise Creative Arts Centre, which Freeman said allows her legacy of nurturing children’s imaginations to live on.
"Her mission in life was to help people. To make their lives better,” Freeman said.
That mission ended abruptly back in January 2013, after police said Wise and her husband of only a few years were found dead of asphyxiation at their Hallandale Beach townhome. Detectives now suspect robbery could have been a motive, since Wise's $16,000 wedding ring was never found.
"It's just unthinkable," Freeman said. "It's absurd that to have a life like that snuffed out for no reason at all."
The couple was seen Jan. 8 on surveillance video uncovered at a South Florida Walmart. Just days later, a neighbor's security cameras captured video of a woman walking near the couple's condo, but there is still no word on her identity. Half a year later, police said details remain slim, despite a $51,000 reward being offered in the case.
Anyone with tips is urged to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
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