She was born on March 22, 1946 in Providence, RI to Charles and Ruth (Chase) Harten. Roberta married James O. Giffen Jr on May 18, 1975 and lived out her life in Cambridge, MA helping to raise a family and working as a freelance graphic artist.
She is survived by four children: Brian (Lisa) Giffen, Shawn (Gail) Giffen, Doreen (Mike) Stuart, and Patricia (Dave) Brown; two sisters: Patricia Harvey and Nancy Rackowski; seven grandchildren: Christopher (Mina) Stuart, Paul Dacey Jr, Michelle Dacey, Krystal Giffen, Samantha Giffen, Lauryn Brown, and Anthony Giffen; two nieces: Jennifer Harvey and Nancy Harvey; and one great grandson: Charlie Dubois.
Roberta’s life will be celebrated by close friends and family on the day of her and her late husband’s anniversary on May 18 in Orleans where they often stayed to enjoy the serene beach.
Special thanks to her doctors and nurses at Mass General Hospital including, but not limited to Dr. Roopur Raje and Jill Burke for treating her like family.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Roberta’s name to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation or the Mass General Hospital Cancer Center Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care.
