John Douglas Roberts

John was born September 18, 1964 in Fort Knox, Kentucky to Ernest and Ryoko Roberts. His family moved often when he was small until his father retired from the Army and they settled in Spring Lake, NC. As a child, John loved to fish and to ride his bike with the neighborhood kids. He especially loved fishing Lake Mattamuskeet in eastern NC. These interests remained with him through adulthood. John was an avid bass fisherman and enjoyed mountain bike riding for as long as his health allowed.

John attended NCSU and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He worked for many years at Nortel as a telephony engineer, and had the opportunity to travel to Japan, China, and Poland early in his career. He most recently enjoyed working for NetApp in computer systems.

John’s greatest pride and love was for his family. He was a devoted husband and father who always prioritized his life so that he could spend quality time with his wife and daughters. They will forever miss his caring presence, his kind strength, and his joyful ability to be silly, play, and share his love of life and fun with whomever had the good fortune to be in his company.

John is survived by his wife of 26 years, Emily Roberts; his two daughters, Sarah and Madelyn Roberts; his mother Ryoko Roberts; and his siblings, Cathy Weber and Paul Roberts. He leaves behind many other heart-broken family and friends.

A funeral service will be held 1:30pm Saturday, December 10, 2016 at Apex Funeral Home Chapel, 550 W. Williams St., Apex, NC 27502. Burial will follow the service at Historic Oakwood Cemetery, 701 Oakwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27601. The family will receive friends 12-1:30pm prior to the service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, c/o The Mattamuskeet Foundation, Inc., 4377 Lewis Lane Rd, Ayden, NC 28513.