Roberta Campbell Lopez

Community Leader and Former Archer Mayor Roberta “Betty” Campbell Lopez Remembered for a Lifetime of Service and Historic Leadership ARCHER, Fla. — Roberta “Betty” Campbell Lopez, a trailblazing public servant, community advocate, and preservationist whose leadership helped shape the City of Archer for decades, is being remembered for a lifetime devoted to service, family, and community. She was 87.

 A native of Archer, Florida, Lopez dedicated her life to strengthening the place she called home. Known for her strength, compassion, and tireless work ethic, she made history as the first African American woman elected to the Archer City Commission. She later served as Vice Mayor and, in 2010, became Archer’s first African American female Mayor. 

Throughout her life, Lopez believed deeply in community, service, and civic responsibility. Alongside her husband, Francisco “Frank” Lopez, she helped register residents to vote, organized neighbors, and co-founded the Northwest Archer Community Association. Through the association, she led beautification efforts, supported senior residents, created youth programs, and worked to strengthen neighborhoods.

One of Lopez’s most enduring legacies is the Archer Community Center. In 2003, she helped lead the effort to transform an abandoned 1936 high school gymnasium into a multi-purpose community space. Through her leadership, advocacy, and persistent fundraising, more than $900,000 was secured through grants, government partnerships, and community support to restore the facility. The Center officially opened in 2011 and remains a vital gathering place for youth programs, community meetings, and cultural events.

Beyond elected office, Lopez remained deeply engaged in volunteer leadership. She served on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the Alachua County Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization Citizen Advisory Committee, Keep Alachua County Beautiful, the Alachua County Poverty Reduction Advisory Committee, the Alachua County Indigent Healthcare Committee, Habitat for Humanity, and the Archer Historical Society.She also served as President of the Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Cemetery Organization through 2025, where she worked to preserve and protect sacred ground that holds the history of generations of Archer families, including veterans and ancestors. Her leadership helped ensure the cemetery remained a place of dignity, remembrance, and historical preservation.

Lopez’s commitment to service was shaped by experiences that influenced her early in life. As a young woman living in Washington, D.C., she attended the historic March on Washington in 1963 and witnessed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech firsthand, a moment her family says helped define her lifelong dedication to community and civic engagement.

Professionally, Lopez built a career in public service and administration, holding positions with Potomac Electric and Power Company, Eastern Airlines, United Way, and Hillsborough County Government, where she retired as a Community Affairs Director. After returning to Archer in 2000 to care for her elderly mother, Lopez began volunteering extensively in the community, ultimately stepping into leadership roles that would leave a lasting mark on the city. In recognition of her impact, she was honored as a Santa Fe College Woman of Distinction, received the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from the Alachua County Democratic Party, and the City of Archer Recognition Award. 

Today, she is receiving an award from the Women's League of Voters.Family members describe Lopez as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend who showed love through action. She was known for welcoming people into her home with a home-cooked meal and for constantly asking how she could help others. Her life was guided by a belief in service, humility, and strengthening community ties.She is survived by her husband of more than six decades, Francisco “Frank” Lopez; her children, LTC Wendell F. Lopez (U.S. Army, Ret.) and Felicia Lopez-Walker; her son-in-law, Blair S. Walker; her grandchildren, Blair R. Walker and Bria Walker; and an extended family of siblings, relatives, and community members whose lives she touched.Lopez is remembered as a tireless advocate for Archer and a leader who believed in bringing people together to create lasting change. Her contributions to civic life, preservation, and community development continue to shape the city she loved.

Her family and community will carry forward her legacy of service, leadership, and unwavering dedication to others.