James “Jim” Edwin Roberts passed away on Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at 88 years of age. He was born on March 29, 1930 and was the third generation to live on the family farm in Clay County, Missouri. He was preceded in death by his parents, Cleveland James Roberts and Flora Florence Roberts (nee Burnett).
He married Dolores Jean Wood on September 29, 1950 and they were married for nearly 68 years. She survives. He is also survived by his daughter, Wanda McKinley (Jerry Frey) of Lafayette, Indiana a,nd daughter, Rinda Bye (Doug Bye) of Hinckley, Illinois. He leaves behind three grandchildren, Olivia Stiker, Aaron Bye and Philip Bye, all of Wisconsin. He is also survived by special friend and former foreign exchange student, Line Poppe of Tvedestrand, Norway.
He was in the Air Force during the Korean War, stationed in Topeka, Kansas, as a mechanic. He continued an aptitude for all things mechanical with jobs throughout the years as a lawn mower mechanic, inspector at Bendix and machinist at TWA, where he retired in 1991. Jim and Dolores lived on the family farm until moving to Liberty in 1996.
He lived an interesting life and was happiest with family and friends, sharing many interesting stories of early life on the farm and his years in the one-room Franklin school house. He held a deep interest in local and regional history including Jesse James and the Civil War, enjoyed old cars, was an avid reader of Twain and others, devouring a stack of books from the library every few weeks. His hobbies were playing his guitar and old country and bluegrass music, the New York Times crossword puzzle and making his own beer.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 11, 2018 at Bross & Spidle Funeral Home, with burial following at Hillcrest Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. prior to the service.
Our Sincere Condolences
Your family is in my prayers.
Roger Barrett
We would like to express our heartfelt condolences to Dolores and the family.
Juergen & Heidrun Jobczyk and Kathleen
