Obituary: Roberts, Francis M. “Rob”
Age 99
He died at Rockwood Manor on Hawthorne, his residence for the last four years.
Here he was cared for and loved by a devoted staff, and by Ruth his personal caretaker.
Rob was born in Wenatchee, Washington on December 2, 1915, the son of William E. and Mary L. Roberts, homestead farmers in Douglas County.
He graduated high school from what is now the historic Hartline school where he anchored the basketball team.
He went on to earn two BS degrees at Washington State College in 1939.
In 1940 he married Naomi A. McCelland in Independence, MO.
He was employed by the U.S.
Soil Conservation Service, and they made their first home in Buffalo, WY, and then across state in Afton where they had two sons, Bill (1942) and John (1944).
Rob entered the U.S. Army in 1943, served in an engineering company in the South Pacific, the the Philippines, and was part of an advanced unit sent to Nagasaki, Japan in 1945, after the surrender.
Soon after his unit’s arrival, however, it was determined they weren’t needed and he was honorably discharged as a Master Sergeant in November 1945.
He returned home to meet his youngest son born while he was in the South Pacific.
He resumed his position with the SCS, from which he retired in 1976, in Spokane, after 36 years.
His longest assignment for the SCS was as the area engineer in Ephrata, WA.
He also served three years on loan to Aid for International Development in New Dehli, India in the late 1960s.
During this time he and Naomi were able to travel to several countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
He is remembered by family and friends for his generosity, understated humor, and gentle manner.
He was active in his community with various service projects including coaching Little League.
He was preceded in death by Naomi his devoted wife of 69 years in 2009, and a brother in 2012.
He is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, William and Deborah Roberts, Chicago, Illinois and John and Linda Roberts, Austin, Texas; granddaughter, Kirstin Roberts and husband Dennis Kosuth, and great-grandson, Arkady, Chicago; and “adopted” daughter, Marilyn (Jones) McBride, Issaqua, WA.
A Memorial Service will be held at 1:30 PM on Monday, August 31, 2015 at Rockwood at Hawthorne in the Sunshine Room, 101 E. Hawthorne.
A Graveside Service will be held on Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at 11:15 at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery, 21702 W. Espanola Rd., Medical Lake, WA 99022.