Elizabeth Ann Roberts
Elizabeth Ann Roberts "Betty", "Liz” was born in Manhattan on April 9, 1914, and died at Seaside Nursing Home in Portland Maine on April 7, 2018, just 2 days before her 104th birthday.
Elizabeth grew up on Staten Island, New York. Upon her graduation from high school, she worked at Macy's in Manhattan where she met her future husband, Frank Howard Roberts, a fellow employee. They married in 1938 and bought a 300 acre farm in New Hampshire the next year, which they worked on restoring on their summer vacations. They had a daughter, Elizabeth, and moved to the farm when their daughter was five. They were joined on the farm, first by Frank's mother and later by Betty's parents. Betty was the primary caretaker for her mother-in-law, then her parents and lastly her husband, Frank, during their final illnesses.
These are the facts, but they really don't tell us much about the person behind them. Elizabeth was a hard worker (she and Frank worked one fall picking apples to survive until they found permanent jobs). Her job was with Sears in Laconia where she worked as the credit manager and made many friends. She had a knack for making friends and collected them effortlessly. She was fun to be with, generous in spirit, always willing to help someone out. She and Frank loved to go dancing and made lifelong friends with another couple who had also moved from New York. The two families were soon accepted by the community in Gilmanton where the men became volunteer firemen and the women worked for the Fire Department's Ladies' Auxiliary. Both women were also active in the Gilmanton Church Ladies' Aid,
though Betty was a member of the St. Joan of Arc parish in a nearby town, Alton.
When Betty retired in her early 60s, she had plenty to do. She learned to drive and got her first driver's license. Her gift for making friends and her love of playing cards and taking the occasional trip to the casinos continued throughout her retirement. The family traveled to New York and New Jersey on many vacations to visit Betty's stepchildren, Joan and Frank, Jr. and their families. After their daughter left for college, they were able to take their dream trip to Ireland with another couple which left them with lots of photographs and wonderful memories. They also made a few trips to San Francisco to visit their daughter who had settled there.
After her move to Maine, Liz joined the Salvation Army Senior Center and was an active member there. She especially enjoyed playing in, and sometimes winning, the Siam Rummy Tournaments, a game she learned to play from another member of the center. Liz loved spending time there and was always ready to help when anything needed to be done. Above all, she always had fun and loved to make people laugh. She lived independently at Northfield Green in Portland and made many new friends there. Her good friend, Rose, considered her to be akin to a mother and helped her out in her later years. They enjoyed each other's company and rarely missed an evening of watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. She celebrated her 100th birthday at Northfield Green with friends and relatives from near and far. She
enjoyed three more birthdays there before becoming ill and entering Seaside Rehab. She was the life of the Rehab unit and delighted in playing cards with her friends there. When a 107 year old was admitted she was upset that her title of oldest person in the facility had been taken. She continued spending time with her friends in Rehab throughout her stay at Seaside Nursing.
She is predeceased by her stepdaughter, Joan Ficarro, and survived by her daughter, Elizabeth, her grandson, Jamil and his wife Katherine and her great-grandson, Benjamin, of the greater Portland area; her stepson, Frank, Jr, and his wife, Patricia and their five children and seven grandchildren of Long Island, New York. She is also survived by her stepdaughter, Joan's, three children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at the Wilde Memorial Chapel in Evergreen Cemetery on Stevens Avenue in Portland on Saturday, April 28 at 2:00 p.m. to be followed by a reception at Northfield Green Apartments on Allen Avenue. In Lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, P.O. Box 336, Westbrook, ME 04098.
Online condolences may be expressed below.
| ||||
