Roberta F. McInnis

Roberta was born in Jacksonville, Florida to Maude P. and Robert W. Furman on August 23, 1927. She grew up across the South, living in Birmingham, Atlanta, and Columbia, South Carolina. She enjoyed spending summer vacations in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A fairytale romance with Albert H. (Bert) McInnis culminated in their wedding in April 1948, and their marriage spanned over seven decades until his passing in 2022. Today, they are reunited in heavenly realms with their Savior, and now watch over their family from above.

Once married, Roberta and Bert lived in Johnson City and Chattanooga, Tennessee, Dalton, Georgia, and Birmingham, Alabama, and served the Lord as members of the United Methodist Church. She made her career with the Internal Revenue Service, while Bert worked for the Social Security Department. After retirement, they continued exploring the United States via RV in their aptly named “turtle tours,” taking their home away from home on the go. They successfully visited all 50 states, as well as traveled abroad to Russia, Estonia, Panama, Costa Rica, and throughout Europe. Roberta and Bert lived a very full life well into retirement, noting “Old is what happens when you slow down.” They shared their love of travel with their grandchildren, taking each on a fun adventure, and enjoyed frequent family reunions and gatherings with extended relatives. Between travels and spending time with family, Roberta also kept busy with several hobbies. She was a singer and featured soloist in her United Methodist church choir, and also sang semi-professionally. She is fondly remembered for a birthday serenade: “This is your birthday song; it isn’t very long.” (And yes, that was the entire song….) She and Bert also enjoyed square dancing parties with friends and board games with grandchildren, and were known to be avid card players (expertly skilled, as many opponents discovered).

Roberta is also remembered for her quick wit and graciousness. She leaves a legacy of love in her surviving family: her two daughters, Jana (Don) Kimberly of Jackson, Tennessee and JoAnn (John) Pellegrino of Matthews, North Carolina; four grandchildren, Erin (J.V.) Thompson of Jackson, Tennessee, Claire (Daniel) Banke of Richmond, Virginia, Cara (Wes) Ebner of Indian Trail, North Carolina, and Gregory Pellegrino of Germantown, Maryland; and four great-grandchildren, Ellis and Cooper Thompson and Dean and Delilah Ebner.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 27, at 2:00, at Ridout Funeral Home in Trussville, Alabama. The family will receive visitors at the funeral home beginning at 1:30. In lieu of flowers, the family would recommend memorial gifts to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Donations can be placed online at stjudge.org or by mail at 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105.