|
OBITUARY Leroy W. Roberts
Roberts, Leroy W. passed away April, 2, 2010 at home in the company of his
family and friends. Leroy was born January 28, 1926 in Naples, Texas to Joseph
and Verna Roberts. He married Erma Jean Etter February 5, 1951 in Dallas, Texas.
Leroy is survived by his grandson James Shelton and wife Tanya Shelton; great
grandchildren Greyson Shelton and Hannah Shelton. He is preceded in death by his
parents Joseph Ernest Roberts and Verna Windham; his wife of 56 years, Erma Jean
Roberts; children Kathryn Ann Shelton, David Wayne Roberts and his wife Lori
Roberts ; grandchildren Jennifer (Jenny) Lynn Roberts and Melanie Roberts. Leroy
served in the Navy as a 2nd Class Petty Officer and fought in both World War II
and the Korean War. He was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, American
Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3 stars), and the Korean Service
Medal (1 star). Leroy honorably served for 25 years as a Firefighter for the
Dallas Fire Department, and he was a dedicated vocational education teacher at
Newman Smith High School for 13 years. He was an active member of the Northside
Baptist Church, and he leaves behind many dear friends. He loved to travel, and
he always enjoyed helping others. The family will receive friends at the funeral
home on Tuesday, April 6, from 5-7 p.m. Funeral Services will be held on
Wednesday, April 7, at 10 a.m. at Northside Baptist Church in Carrollton.
Interment will follow at Hilltop
Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the CFB
ISD Educational Foundation, In Memory of Kathy Shelton & David Roberts, PO BOX
115186, Carrollton, TX 75011.
The Dallas Morning News - April 6 & 7, 2010
Submitted by Edward Lynn
Williams
Leroy W. Roberts: Served in Navy, Dallas Fire Department
and Carrollton schools
Leroy W. Roberts lived a life of service.
He was in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War, a member of the
Dallas Fire Department for 25 years, and, after retirement, a high school
vocational education teacher for 13 years.
Mr. Roberts, 84, died Friday of natural causes at his Carrollton home.
Services with firefighter honors were Wednesday at Northside Baptist Church in
Carrollton, where he was an active member.
"If he wasn't serving others, he wasn't living," said his granddaughter-in-law,
Tanya Shelton of Carrollton.
Mr. Roberts didn't talk much about his service with the Navy or the Dallas Fire
Department, Mrs. Shelton said.
"He did tell us one story of carrying a child out of a building, but he never
really went into it because I think it was just too much to talk about," she
said.
Mr. Roberts enjoyed working with his hands. His woodworking tools included more
than 50 different saws, which he used to make birdhouses and elaborate doll
houses. Those creations usually landed in the hands of families in need, Mrs.
Shelton said.
"Never for money. He did it out of the goodness of his heart," she said.
When he retired from the fire department in 1969, Mr. Roberts became certified
to teach woodworking to vocational education students at Newman Smith High
School in Carrollton.
He maintained a positive attitude despite tragic losses in his life. His son,
David Roberts; his son's wife, Lori Roberts; and their two children died in a
1992 plane crash in Colorado. In 2002, Mr. Roberts lost his daughter, Kathy
Shelton, in a medical-related death.
Mr. Roberts was born in Naples, Texas. He was 16 when he left home, coming to
Dallas to be a runner for Neiman Marcus.
After World War II, Mr. Roberts returned to Texas, where he joined the Dallas
Fire Department. In 1950, he was called to active Navy duty in the Korean War.
His service ended in 1952, and he returned to the Dallas Fire Department, where
he served as a driver-engineer until he retired.
Mr. Roberts is survived by a grandson, James Shelton of Carrollton, and two
great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made in memory of his children, Kathy Shelton and David
Roberts, to the Carrolton-Farmers Branch Independent School District Educational
Foundation. The Dallas Morning News - April 8, 2010 |
Carrollton-Farmers
Branch TXGenWeb