Posted: Sunday, November 30, 2008 12:00 am
May 24, 1937 -Nov. 18, 2008
Fredrick (Fred) A. Roberts died Nov. 18 after a long and valiant battle with cancer. He died peacefully at home with family and some of his many friends by his side.
Fred was born May 24, 1937, in Salem. He grew up in Portland, attending Rose City Park grade school and graduated from Grant High School.
Fred went to Willamette University for two years before transferring to Oregon State University to study chemical engineering. He put himself through college by working at the Oregon School for the Blind in Salem and the Bureau of Mines in Albany.
Fred took a break from school to join the Oregon Air National Guard. For seven years, he repaired radar equipment for airplanes at the air base next to Portland International Airport.
Graduating from OSU in 1964, Fred went to work as an analytical chemist for the Crown Zellerbach paper mill in Oregon City and the Environmental Protection Agency in Corvallis and Newport. His specialty was gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). He retired from the EPA in 1997 after 30 years.
As a youngster, Fred and his family attended Rose City Park Presbyterian Church, where his mother was the church soloist. Perhaps this encouraged his lifelong love of singing and music.
His Christian journey led him to form relationships at Grace Lutheran Church, First Baptist Church, Grace Christian Fellowship and New Hope Life Center among others.
Fred was involved in The Gideons International, Full Gospel Businessman's Fellowship, and a local jail ministry. He served on the board and volunteered at TriCenter Home, a parole group residence. He also supported several missionaries locally and to the ends of the Earth. To say Fred loved God and loved people is an understatement. He was modest and faithful and helped many people.
A Mr. Fixit, Fred could jury-rig, invent or repair anything. He built many things from kits including a TV set, various testing equipment, a motor bike and eventually his own house.
Fred is survived by Linda, his wife of 40 years; his daughters and sons-in-law Jennie and Kevin Berklund and Jodie and Peter Yue; four grandchildren, Lauren and Mitchell Berklund and Oliver and Poppy Yue; a brother, Richard Roberts; a nephew, David Roberts and wife Stephanie; along with several beloved aunts and cousins and his feisty dog, Harriet.
A celebration of Fred's life will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at First Baptist Church in Corvallis.
Memorial contributions can be made to The Gideons International, the Greenbelt Land Trust or Benton Hospice Service. Online condolences can be extended to the family via www.mchenryfuneralhome.com.