Jill E. Jahnke Roberts

Feb. 24, 1946 - Oct. 10, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, AL - Jill Eileen Jahnke Roberts, 63, of Birmingham, Alabama, formerly of South Bend, Indiana, passed away on October 10, 2009. Jill was born February 24, 1946, to Karl and Betty Jahnke. On August 16, 2003, she married her high school friend, Dr. Steven P. Roberts of Birmingham, AL. He survives along with Jill's daughter, Rebecca E. Bartol of South Bend, IN. Steve brought much love and happiness to her life and together they traveled the world. Rebecca was Jill's pride and joy and together they too traveled the world. Also surviving are her sister, Susan (Robert) Paris of Boise, ID; two brothers, Richard (Nancy Mitchell) Jahnke of Bark River, MI, and Douglas (Merilee) Jahnke of Toledo, OH; two nieces, Catherine (Benjamin) Carr of Boise, ID, and Katherine (Omar) Cant' of Los Angeles, CA; and two nephews, Rev. Robert (Kendis) Paris of Englewood, CO, and Charles Paris of Englewood, CO. Jill was preceded in death by her parents, Karl and Betty Jahnke, and by her youngest niece, Laura Jahnke. Jill was a 1964 graduate of South Bend's Riley High School. In 1968 she graduated with a bachelor's degree from Miami University of Oxford, OH, where she was a member of the Alpha Phi International Fraternity. After college she worked for the telephone company in New York, NY, was a travel agent in Chicago, IL, and a travel agent, stay-at-home Mom and United States Postal Service worker in South Bend, IN, until her retirement in 2004. During the early 1970s, she made two around-the- world journeys that led her to some of the most interesting places on Earth. She lived in Tokyo, Japan, for two months before beginning the first of these two adventures. Her stories of her travels entertained all who knew her and especially her daughter as a child. Her favorite travel destination was Hawaii where her parents and sister's family lived for many years. Recently she was an active member of the Birmingham/Tuscaloosa Alpha Phi Alumnae, the American Association of University Women, Red Hats, and the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. During Jill's nearly 19-year battle with breast cancer, she showed great courage and determination and never once let her spirits or enthusiasm for life falter. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Presbyterian Church of South Bend or to her niece's memorial scholarship fund: The Laura Jahnke Scholarship Fund, Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, VA 24595. Services will be held to honor Jill's life and memory at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2009, in the Sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church, 333 W. Colfax Avenue, South Bend, IN 46601. A family burial will take place during a separate ceremony at Sumption Prairie Cemetery, South Bend, IN.