Donna Roberts

1945 - 2021

The following words were written by Donna Schwartz Roberts in March of 2015 who died on November 6, 2021 in her home from metastatic breast cancer. "Funerals are not funerals without lots of smiles, laughter, and tears!!!" Donna (DeeDee) was born April 15, 1945 in La Junta, CO to June West and Leo Schwartz three days after Franklin Roosevelt died. Leo served in the US Army in France during World War II and would not meet his first-born child for another five months. Donna and her mother lived with Donna's grandmother and two uncles in a four-room adobe house with no running water in La Junta. She graduated from La Junta High School and went on to complete her Bachelor's Degree at CSU-Pueblo and her Master's Degree at the University of New Mexico. Most of her career was spent teaching math at Rampart High School in Colorado Springs, and her greatest job satisfaction came from teaching Advanced Placement Calculus. She married Tom Roberts on February 14, 1975, and they enjoyed extensive travelling, hiking, playing duplicate bridge, biking, playing pickleball, and teaching in the same building for 25 years. Their retirement coincided with the birth of their nephew, Nathan; and their niece, Mikayla. The opportunity to be a caregiver to these two loving children was the highlight of her life. She also loved jigsaw puzzles, photography, planning trips and holidays, and especially, her family. She is survived by her beloved husband, Tom; brother, Jonathan Schwartz and his wife, Michelle, and their children, Nathan and Mikayla. Also, her brother Randy and his children, Laurel Benz (husband Brian and daughters, Dylan and Aubrey) and Jeremy Schwartz. In addition to her loving family, she is survived by Tom's three sisters and their families: Carol and John Callahan; Bev Tucker and her three sons, Eric Van Dyk (Shayla, Cayson, and Grady), Nick Van Dyk (Jennifer, Dutch, and Taylor), and Russell Van Dyk (Diane) ; and Sandy and Jay Lundahl and their three children, Jason Lundahl (Rebecca, Jakob, Alice, and Avery), Amy McCoy (James, Thomas, and Joshua), and Audrey Lundahl (Andy). She was preceded in death by her parents and sister-in-law, Beverly Schwartz, as well as her two dear step-fathers, Hank Siefken and Alfred Magruder. As per Donna's final wishes, she chose to have a Life Celebration and light luncheon at Allnutt Macy Chapel located at 6521 W 20th St in Greeley, CO. The service will be held on Saturday, December 4th at 1:00 p.m. Any memorial contributions should be made to Weld Food Bank or Habitat for Humanity. She also insisted that her celebration be informal and comfortable, and suggests "business casual" as appropriate attire.