Roberta Frances Leicester

ROBERTA FRANCES (SCHILDT) LEICESTER On June 15, 2010, six days after her 91st birthday, Roberta Frances (Schildt) Leicester surrendered to a lengthy battle with cancer and went home to be with her Lord. Roberta was born in Montrose, Colorado on June 9, 1919, to William A. and Sylvia (Price) Schildt. She passed away at her home in Cortez. She married Harold Edwin Leicester on April 19, 1939, in Gallup, New Mexico. Harold was killed in the Ridgway county garage explosion on January 6, 1957. Surviving family members include her daughter, Vicki Lawhorn of Cortez and San Tan Valley, Arizona, her son Norman and wife Rita of Riverton, Wyoming, grandchildren Lisa (George) Sanchez, Michael (Danni) Leicester, Jeremy (Annette) Leicester, seven great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews and her sister, Berneil McCord of Saratoga, Wyoming. Preceding her in death were her beloved husband, Harold, her parents and a brother, William Schildt Roberta attended schools in Cimarron and Montrose and business school in Denver, Colorado. Harold and Roberta lived in New Orleans while Harold was in the service. After the war, they made homes in Montrose, Uravan, Saratoga, Wyoming and Ouray. Following Harold’s death, Roberta moved her family back to Saratoga to be closer to her mother and sister. She had an interesting and varied career life. She worked for the telephone company in Montrose, she stumped for ads and helped hand set type for the Ouray County Herald. In Wyoming she worked for a lawyer until he retired and then for a doctor until he retired. She helped to establish and was the first manager of the Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce. She served on the Wyoming Travel Commission. In 1982 she retired from her Chamber job and moved to Cortez to be with her daughter and granddaughter. Retirement was to tame for her and after a few months she took a job with Ed and Jo Berger at Crow Canyon. Her first job was mending teepees. She retired from there in 1991, after serving as Assistant Director under Sandy Thompson. In 1995 she took a part-time job with the Forest Service in Dolores, where she worked until she and Vicki became “snow birds” in 2007. She often remarked that she was one of the lucky ones; she could honestly say she never had a job she didn’t love. Roberta served on the original board of directors for the CU (Cultural) Center and had fond memories of the struggles to get the Center started and of the warm bond that was formed between those involved. She also sat on the board for the Good Samaritans Center. She was a long time, faithful member of the Montezuma Valley Presbyterian Church. Roberta deeply loved her God, her family and her many friends. Following Roberta’s wishes, cremation will take place and there will be a service, scheduled for July 3rd, to bury her ashes next to her husband in the Cedar Cemetery in Montrose. A remembrance will take place during the regular Sunday service at the Presbyterian Church.