Dr. Roberta Luttrell

It is with great sadness that we share that Dr. Roberta (Kramer) Luttrell, 90, of North Hills, NY, and St. Petersburg, FL, passed away on August 15, 2025. She was born in Paterson, NJ, on May 20, 1935, and lived most of her life in the metro New York area, becoming a Florida snowbird in her later years.
Roberta received her B.A. in 1972 and M.A. in 1975 from Queens College in Flushing, NY. She earned her Ph.D. from the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center in 1986. Roberta considered her studies with historian and President Kennedy's special assistant Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. to be a high point in her graduate work. She took amused satisfaction in having once exasperated Schlesinger through her knowledgeable questioning to the point where Schlesinger asked the sky above, with a smile, "What did I ever do to deserve Mrs. Kramer in my class?!"
As a teacher of English composition and poetry, among other subjects, at Nassau Community College in Garden City, NY, for 33 years, Roberta became a full professor in 1993. Over the years, she provided pro bono tutoring in various disciplines with a specialty in tutoring remedial courses and English as a second language. She also taught herself rudimentary American Sign Language (ASL) so she could be a better teacher for her ASL students. This was all due to her generous nature and unique ability to help students with academic and physical limitations. Her office was always open for students because she believed basic literacy is necessary to get along in the corporate world. She retired in 2010 as Professor Emerita.
Roberta received a competitive Mellon Fellowship in Literature and American Society for Community College Faculty in 1987. She collaborated with a colleague on a drama about contemporary American mores, wrote short stories, and collected material for a study of street people and gentrification on New York's Upper West Side.
Roberta earned two sabbaticals. In 1983, she traveled to London and Cambridge to do research for her Ph.D. dissertation. In 1992, she earned another sabbatical for a journalism apprenticeship at Lear's Magazine, where she learned about the publishing industry in order to develop a new course for her students. Lear's published a number of her bylined articles.
Roberta won multiple awards for her poetry and authored two books, "Twins Are Two People" and "A Book of Curiosities". She was a passionate reader and avid theater and movie-goer, as well as a talented amateur pianist and visual artist. She and her husband donated to a number of charities related to their interests.
Roberta was truly beloved by family, friends, colleagues, and her students due to her caring, compassionate, and respectful nature. She connected with people at an elemental level through her warmth and curiosity. As a loving mother and grandmother, she didn't worry about the small stuff such as whether pizza for breakfast was okay. She focused on providing the attention and encouragement her husband, children, and friends needed. She was a very easy-going woman with a great love for her family, shown through such things as serving multiple dinner entrees on a regular basis to provide choice as well as nutrition. Roberta is remembered without fail as kind and resilient, meeting the most difficult of challenges with steady determination.
Roberta is survived by her husband of 36 years, Dr. Robert R. Luttrell. She is survived by daughters Frances Kramer (George Bailey), Julie Davis (Steven), Karen Siegel, and Laura Kramer (Eduardo Llerandez), and grandchildren David Niemierzycki, Benjamin Davis (Emily Abramovici), and Christine Niemierzycki. Roberta is also survived by step-children Rosemary Esposito, Robert Luttrell, Jr. (Dr. Susan Fromer), and James Luttrell, as well as step-grandchildren Melissa Esposito (Richard De La Cruz), Robyn Esposito Scott (Davis), Sophia Luttrell and Daphne Luttrell. Additionally, Roberta is survived by step-great grandchildren Anthony De La Cruz (Arsthly Diaz), Demetrius De La Cruz, Madison De La Cruz, and Walter Scott. She was preceded in death by son-in-law Marc Siegel and step son-in-law Eugene Esposito.
A memorial and celebration of life will be held in the near future. Donations in Roberta's honor may be made to the New York Public Library (nypl.org).