Fletcher Henderson Roberts Jr.

LAUREL PARK – Fletcher Henderson Roberts, Jr., 88, a lifelong resident of Laurel Park, died peacefully on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, attended by his family. Roberts was the son of the late Fletcher H. Roberts and Cornelia Blanche Newnam Roberts, one of the founding families of Laurel Park. He was married to his lifelong love Lynn Reaben Roberts, a retired English and drama teacher at West Henderson High and Hendersonville High Schools, who survives. His sister was the late Jane Roberts Griffith.
In addition to his wife, Roberts is survived by his two daughters, Ms. Jo Roberts Parrott of Kinston, and Dr. Gina Roberts of Raleigh; his son-in-law, Jimmy Parrott of Kinston; two grandchildren, Catherine Hunter Reaben Parrott of High Point and Jacob Fletcher Parrott of Raleigh; two great-grandchildren, Catherine Reaben Burris and Hutton Henderson Burris, both of High Point; two nieces, Sharon Waddell Johnson of Hendersonville and Deborah Jane Griffith of Asheville; two nephews, John Hall Waddell of Hendersonville, and Fletcher W. Griffith of Hendersonville; and a godchild, Natalie Griffith of Raleigh.
Roberts was a graduate of Hendersonville High School, where he lettered in four sports, and of UNC-Chapel Hill. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II as a Private First Class, where he was a medical surgical technician, an aerial gunner and clerk. He was awarded the American Theater Service Medal and the WWII Victory Medal. He was the Henderson County Group Induction leader for the U. S. Army.
Roberts' career included work at DuPont's Savannah River Project in Aiken, S.C., and at General Electric in Hendersonville. He also was a certified Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance officer for the
N.C. and U.S. Departments of Labor, before becoming Director of Safety and Loss Prevention in Olin Corporation's Fine Paper and Film Group at Pisgah Forest.
Long identified with industrial safety programs throughout North Carolina, and a strong proponent of the human relations component to safety success, Roberts worked with safety personnel and programs in the Olin Group's three operating units in North Carolina, Indiana and South Carolina.
A sought-after motivational public speaker, Roberts lectured and conducted safety seminars on a wide range of topics and was known for his ability to engage an audience on the driest of subjects.
In his retirement, Roberts celebrated his family's deep roots in Henderson County by giving frequent donations of time and resources to the Henderson County Courthouse Renovations.
An avid gardener, Roberts spent long, fulfilling hours planting, transplanting and tending the lush forest of rhododendrons and laurels he called "The Wood Patch" that surrounded his home on Crystal Springs Drive in Laurel Park, next door to his childhood home.
Roberts was proud of his family's tradition of ardently supporting the Democratic Party, and he upheld that tradition with outspoken enthusiasm. No one ever doubted where Roberts stood on issues of the day. At the root of his bravado, however, was a kind and generous heart. He strongly advocated for equity, social justice and civil rights. Although a successful, self-made man, Roberts thought of himself as a simple man and identified with the underdog.
His wit, sometime salty sense of humor, and his devotion to his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and his cherished Cocker Spaniels made him memorable in Henderson County.
He was a member of Hendersonville Elks Lodge 1616, American Legion Post 77 and took his First Degree in the Freemasons' Kedron 387 Lodge in 2003. He was initiated into the Scottish Rite, 32nd degree in 2004, 80 years to the day that his father was initiated. He also was a member of the Hendersonville Country Club, where he was a scratch golfer and earned three holes-in-one over a three-year period; and was a lifetime member of the UNC Chapel Hill Alumni Association and an avid Tar Heel fan.
The family would like to express thanks and appreciation for the sweet and tender care given to him by the staff of The Bridge Life Care Center and his private caregivers.
Visitation will be at Thos. Shepherd and Son Funeral Home at noon on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Roberts' memory to the Town of Laurel Park to be used for the Rhododendron Lake Park Restoration, or the Henderson County Heritage Museum in the Historic Henderson County Courthouse.
An online register book is available for family and friends by visiting www.thosshepherd.com. Thos. Shepherd & Son Funeral Directors and Cremation Memorial Center is in charge of arrangements.