Roberta Lee Worden

Roberta L. Worden

February 26, 1935 – December 10, 2025

Roberta Lea Worden, 90, of Greeley, Colorado (Formerly of Burlington,) passed away peacefully on December 10, 2025, at Meadowview Care Center in Greeley. Born February 26, 1935 in Liberty, Missouri, to Robert and Bernice (Kirkhart) Bixby. Roberta grew up as the middle child of three, with an older sister, Jeannie, and a younger brother, David. Roberta grew up in Iowa surrounded by many uncles, aunts, and close cousins who were her best friends. She graduated from Warrensburg High School in Warrensburg, Missouri, in 1953. She began her college education at Central Missouri State University and later continued at Colorado State College in Greeley, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. Roberta aspired to become an art teacher.

In the early 1950s, Roberta's family moved to Loveland, Colorado. It was there that her sister Jeannie introduced her to Merle Worden. Roberta and Merle were married in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1956. They began their married life in a small homemade travel trailer in Laramie, Wyoming, while Merle completed his agronomy degree at the University of Wyoming. After Merle graduated, the family settled in Loveland, where he was offered a job with Great Western Sugar. They later moved to LaSalle with Great Western Sugar and, in 1962, relocated to Burlington, Colorado, where Merle accepted the position of area agronomist for Great Western Sugar in Goodland, Kansas. Together, in Burlington, Roberta and Merle raised four sons; Daniel, Douglas, David, and Darin. Roberta poured her heart into raising her boys. She filled their young lives with home-cooked meals, countless jars of canned goods, and the best chocolate cake with fudge frosting eastern Colorado has ever known. She spent many evenings on hard bleachers cheering for her sons and their teammates. Roberta was a gifted craftswoman and weaver. She became locally famous for the beautiful rag rugs she wove – rugs that still warm floors all over the area. For many years, Roberta worked as a sales associate at Gambles, later Hardware Hank's, in downtown Burlington. In retirement, she and Merle traveled most of the United States in their pickup truck and fifth-wheel travel trailer with the Good Sam Club, making lifelong friends along the way. She found great joy in tending her vegetable and flower gardens, sitting around a good campfire, and keeping the cookie jar full because, as she believed, kids need cookies.

Roberta was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Merle Worden (December 2020), her parents, and her sister Jeannie.

She is survived by her four sons and their wives: Daniel (Stephanie), Douglas (Vanessa) David (Penny), and Darin (Jennifer). She also leaves behind 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren (with one more expected any day), her brother David (Lynn) Bixby, and her sister-in-law Melody (Jim) Bush. Additionally, she is remembered by a large extended family and many friends.

A graveside service for Roberta will be held at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at Fairview Cemetery, in Burlington, CO. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Kit Carson County Pink Chaps Fund or the Burlington Fire Department.

She wasn't one for a fuss or long goodbyes, but those who knew her will forever taste that chocolate fudge cake in their memories and feel the quiet pride that they were lucky enough to be part of her life.

Rest easy, Mom. We've got it from here.