Edith Roberts

Edith was born along with her twin sister Florence on March 19th, 1929 in Brooklyn, New York to Martello and Ruth Payne. She was born into a large family, one of seven siblings. Her family did not have much, but they had love, upright morals and values, which helped her become the exemplary person she was. She graduated from East New York Vocational High School in 1946. 

She met the love of her life Ernest Theodore Roberts, shortly after graduating high school. He was painting Edith's older sister's home, and the rest is history. Edith and Ernest married on August 5, 1951. They welcomed their first child into the world, their son Ernest Theodore Roberts Jr. in 1953. They welcomed their second child, Cheryl Ann Roberts in 1958. They had their third child Steven Glenn Roberts in 1961. Ernest Roberts Sr. was in the Air Force, and they traveled overseas and throughout the United States for many years as a family. Edith was a stay at home wife and mom, but she once said that if she had to choose a career, she would have become a nurse. 

Edith was intelligent. She enjoyed watching PBS programming. She especially enjoyed watching Finding Your Roots, as she found it interesting and stimulating. She read the Oregonian newspaper faithfully and challenged herself to complete the crossword puzzles. She enjoyed many hours of playing Scrabble, and enjoyed watching her favorite tv game shows Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. If she wasn't working a crossword puzzle or a game show, she was reading books on all topics and time periods. She was mentally sharp. She wanted to challenge herself, taking general courses at Portland Community College, and earned a degree graduating in the early 1980's. 

She was a strong woman of faith, a devout Christian believer. She had attended Hughes Memorial Methodist Church since the 1960's. Even at the very end, when the pandemic happened, her pastor orchestrated church service over the phone, and she would still faithfully attend that way. 

Edith received several awards for her volunteer service. In 1998, she received the JC Penney Golden Rule Award for outstanding volunteer service, as well as, the Golden Rule 1998 Oregon Education winner award Edith for her work at Family Ministries Center/Safe Haven. Not only did she give back to the community with her time, but she also donated faithfully to March of Dimes, Susan Komen, Easter Seals, and many other organizations. 

Edith was such a kind, calm, loving and gentle spirit. She always made everyone feel welcomed, seen and valued. She was not a complainer. In fact, even up to her final days, she never complained. She always made sure everyone else around her was taken care of and ok, before she tended to her own needs. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, mother-in-law and friend. She is greatly missed. 

Edith is preceded in death by her parents Martello and Ruth, her twin sister Florence, and sisters Louise, Ruth, and Rose. She is survived by her brothers Everett and Martello Jr., her husband Ernest Sr., her children, Ernest Jr. (Sydney), Cheryl, and Steven (Nanette), her grandchildren, Nahir (Andrew), Stephanie, Trey, and Jeffrey, and a host of nieces, nephews, in-laws and many other loved ones. 

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