G. Carl Roberts

1940 - 2021

G. Carl Roberts

Newtown, CT - G. Carl Roberts passed away on June 22, 2021 in Newtown, CT, with his family by his side, due to complications from Parkinson's Disease. Carl was born on February 22, 1940 to parents George and Fannie Roberts, in Johnstown, NY, and was the youngest of four children. While he spent his childhood in the Back Mountain/Wilkes-Barre area of PA, his chosen home was Vermont where he resided for 51 years, until just before his death.

Carl was forever curious and loved learning. He graduated high school from Wyoming Seminary (PA) in 1958, where he was a strong student and wrestler, and earned a ROTC scholarship to attend RPI. He left RPI to pursue an English degree but first served in the Navy on the USS Boston in the Middle East. The travel and adventures of his service stayed with him throughout his life. After the Navy he enrolled at Boston University, graduated with a BA in English, and then started his 28 year career at IBM in Poughkeepsie, NY in 1965, doing recruiting and later systems analysis. He married Susan Friedberg and had two children, Gregg and Jennifer. When he was transferred to IBM's Essex, VT location in 1970, he found a home with his family in Shelburne. Following his divorce in 1982 and subsequent move to Burlington, Carl took an early retirement from IBM to pursue a second career. He earned two master's degrees in counseling from UVM in the 1970s and St Michael's College in the 1990s, and became a substance abuse counselor at Howard Human Services, a role he found greatly fulfilling. Carl completed many geology and archaeology courses and worked on several digs in VT and one in the Southwestern US. When he wasn't out in nature, he could be found reading about American history, movies, the World Wars, genealogy, and listening to classical music.

Carl was an outdoor enthusiast - an avid hiker, xc skier, snowshoer and bicyclist who was also happy just out working in the yard. He not only hiked many peaks in VT and New England but also in the Southwest and the Italian Dolomites. Carl was very proud to have completed the Long Trail at 63 having hiked sections over a ten year period. He rode the Burlington Bike Path daily, well into his 70s.

Carl cultivated his interest in film by volunteering at RETN (Regional Educational Television Network) and the Burlington International Film Festival; and his interest in politics by volunteering for a number of local and state political campaigns. He traveled extensively in the US and beyond, including trips to England, the beaches of Normandy, Scotland, the Yucatan Peninsula, Italy, Spain, Alaska and Switzerland, enjoying the culture and history as much as the local cuisine.

Carl is survived by his son Gregg and his wife Christie of Newtown CT; daughter Jennifer and her husband Indran of Brookline, MA; grandchildren Jake, Isabella, Ava, Milo, and Duncan; his sister Pat Baird and her husband Bob of PA, the hosts of countless cherished family gatherings; along with his many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by dear friends Sally Newton, Bruce Acciavattii, David Sherwood, and ex-wife Susan Roberts. Carl was predeceased by brother Donald Roberts and sister Nancy MacDougall.

A celebration of life will be held in Carl's honor in September in PA. Donations in Carl's memory can be made to vermontadaptive.org or greenmountainclub.org.