KATHLEEN ROBERTS COMISKEY

ROBERTS COMISKEY, Kathleen (Ryan) Of Raynham and South Dartmouth, passed away on September 23, 2017 at Morton Hospital, Taunton, MA at the age of 103. She was the beloved wife of the late Sydney C. Roberts and the late James Comiskey. She was born in Dartmouth, the daughter of the late Thomas J. Ryan and Ann (Whelan) Ryan, and grew up in Wellesley, MA. She received a bachelor's degree from Framingham State University and a master's degree from Boston University. Mrs. Roberts was a classroom teacher and a teaching principal for 47 years. Her first position was in a one-room school in Milton, VT where she taught all eight grades. In 1939, she joined the Dartmouth Public School System. While in Dartmouth she taught grade 4 through 7 in the elementary schools. Mrs. Roberts also wrote a book for children on the history of Dartmouth, "The Secrets of Old Dartmouth", which is still used today in the Dartmouth Public Schools and also available to the general public. Mrs. Roberts moved to Raynham in 1963 and became a teaching principal at the North School. She retired from teaching in 1984. During her teaching career, Mrs. Roberts served as president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association; the Bristol County Educators Association; the Dartmouth Educators Association, and the Raynham Education Association. She also served on the Board of Directors of the National Education Association and the Massachusetts Teachers Association. In her retirement years, Mrs. Roberts fulfilled her belief that a person should give back to their community. She was a founder of the Raynham Food Basket and a volunteer for 27 years. She was a member of the boards of the Raynham Library, the Raynham Council on Aging and the Raynham Association of Volunteers for Education. She was the first statewide chair for the implementation of the "Read Across America" program, which is sponsored by the National Education Association. Mrs. Roberts loved history. She served as the President of the Raynham Historical Society for many years and as a member of the Raynham Historical Commission. She also did programs on Raynham's history for the community cable channel and served as the co-chair of Raynham's 275th anniversary celebration. She was predeceased by her siblings: Harriot Ryan of Middletown, RI; Matthew and Thomas Ryan, all of Wellesley, MA. She is survived by her niece, Catherine Bryant of Raynham, a nephew, Thomas Ryan of Wellesley, and a great niece and nephew. Funeral from the O'Keefe-Wade Funeral Home, 70 Washington St., Taunton, MA 02780 on Thursday, September 28th at 9 am. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Ann's Church in Raynham at 10 am. Visiting hours will be on Wednesday from 4-7 pm. Interment in St. Mary's Cemetery, North Attleboro, MA. In lieu of flowers, should one choose to, contributions may be made in her memory to the Kathleen Ryan Comiskey Roberts scholarship fund at Framingham State University or to the Raynham Historical Society. Visit our website www.okeefewade.com to sign the online guestbook, obituaries & directions