Frances M. Roberts

FRANCES MARY ROBERTS (Age 85)  
On Sunday August 7, 2011 at Riderwood in Silver Spring, Maryland; preceded in death by her beloved husband of 50 years, Alfred O. Roberts of Fair Haven, Vermont and her cherished older brother and sister, Kenneth Campbell and Jean Youngberg, and survived by her cherished younger sister, Patricia Bush of Oahu, Hawaii. Fran was a devoted mother and friend to her four children and their spouses, Gail and Andrew Zitnay III, Gary Roberts, Douglas Roberts and Lisa Trovato, Bonnie Roberts and Geoff Holdridge, and a dear grandmother to her grandchildren and their spouses, Jennifer Zitnay, Andrew and Chelsea Zitnay IV, Kathleen and Andrew Stanton, Hayley Holdridge, Sebastian Holdridge, Christian Holdridge, Elizabeth and Tim Hoy, Sarah Berkey, and Christopher Berkey. Fran was born in Aurora, Illinois in 1925, relocating with her family to New York City and Connecticut during the depression. After the war, she met her future husband Alfred "Al", a young engineer, while they both worked at the ARMA corporation in Brooklyn, NY. Al's job at ARMA took them to Hawaii, Kansas, Nebraska and Maryland. Fran and Al made lifelong friends everywhere they lived. Fran worked at the Marriott Corporation and then the Martin Marietta headquarters in Bethesda as a legal secretary. Once their children were grown, Fran and Al indulged their love of travel by taking trips that took them over time to each of the continents, including Antarctica. They rode camels, went on safaris, snorkeled, wore waders, hiked everywhere, visited the Galapagos, and saw penguins and polar bears. Fran loved playing bridge, singing in the church choir and hiking and biking with family and friends. After her retirement from Martin Marietta, she worked part time at the Brookside Gardens in Silver Spring, Maryland. She will be remembered for her great energy, wonderful smile, and hearty laugh and will be missed by all. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 10 at 11 a.m. at the Bethesda United Church of Christ (BUCC). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Montgomery Hospice or the American Cancer Society.