Roberta M. Fourkas

1936 - 2020

Retired attorney Roberta Fourkas, 83, woke up the morning of September 2 with some difficulty breathing. She died early that afternoon of multiple organ problems at a local emergency room, with her husband of 57 years at her side. She had tested negative for COVID-19. Roberta Maxine Fourkas was born in Seattle in October 1936 to Erna (Hardman) Poliak and Dr. Bernard H. Poliak, a dentist. Two years later, her parents also had a son, Richard. When World War II broke out, Bernie volunteered for the armed services as a dentist. The family moved to several military bases, until Bernie was shipped to the Pacific. Erna then relocated with the children to Palm Springs, where she built a house. After the war, Bernie rejoined the family in Palm Springs, where he spent the rest of his career. A few years later, a second daughter, Carol, was born. Roberta graduated from Palm Valley High School and attended Whittier College, where she obtained a bachelor's degree and a teaching credential. Her next move was to San Francisco; she taught for a couple of years in the Mission district, then worked at I Magnin. She next became a secretary at a small public relations firm, one of whose clients was a company trying to develop a large tract of land on the south shore of the city of Alameda. There she met Ted Fourkas, a cub reporter for the Oakland Tribune who covered Alameda City Hall. They hit it off and began dating. They married in Carson City, Nevada in 1963. Roberta gave birth to their son, John, at Alameda Hospital in 1964. The family then bought and lived in a small home on a hillside in San Pablo. When Ted landed a job with the Office of Research in the California State Assembly, the family moved to an apartment in Sacramento. The next move was to a house in the south area, not far from the home of Ted's cousin, Stella Sardonis and her husband, Steve. That would be Roberta's and Ted's home for the rest of their life together. While John was attending elementary school, Roberta and a neighbor, Lucille Cory, the mother of one of John's classmates, took up batik making in the Fourkas home. After a few years, they decided to attend McGeorge School of Law. So did another neighbor, Waynette Ellison, and a friend of Ted's, Dan O'Neill; both Ted and Dan were then reporters at the Sacramento Bee. The room where batiks were made became a study area. All four McGeorge students graduated, passed the bar and became practicing attorneys. Roberta was self-employed the rest of her career, practicing family law. She often served as a judge pro tem in family law cases. In addition to her husband, Ted, Roberta is survived by their son, John, his wife, Amy, and their son, Austen. She is also survived by brother Richard Poliak and his wife, Cynthia, and sister Carol Poliak and her husband Eric Smith, as well as a number of nieces, nephews and their children. For most of her marriage, Roberta was the main cook in the household, and a very good one. She loved to work crossword puzzles and play Scrabble, either the board or computer version. She liked to knit, making sweaters and scarves for herself and relatives. She played card games like solitaire and bridge. Those activities kept her hands busy; to the very end, her hands were always active. She liked to listen to show tunes, and her favorite singer was Ella Fitzgerald. The family is planning an online memorial to celebrate her life.