John Sherrill Roberts, 82, of Christiansted, St. Croix and Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, passed away Sunday, October 27th, 2019 at City of Hope in Duarte, California after a short battle with lymphoma. He completed two rounds of chemotherapy with gusto but ultimately succumbed to sudden heart failure.
John was born to the late John R. and Celia (Sherrill) Roberts on February 16th, 1937 in Chicago, Illinois. The oldest of three children, John grew up near Chicago and spent the later years of his childhood in Maplewood, New Jersey. He earned his BS in Chemistry from Cornell University in 1960. John began working in chemical sales and progressed to a long career as an executive with many companies, including Volplex Plastics, Hoyne Industries, Federal Signal, Omron, and Nordent, all while raising his three children in Naperville, Illinois. John was a passionate music fan who especially loved the blues and country and was a lifelong piano player. He also enjoyed late night parties with his family, wood working, and having an evening cocktail under the stars. Previously widowed twice, John was blessed enough to find true love and a soulmate when he married Mona Lawaetz in 2015, and they had four beautiful years of marriage together.
John is survived by his wife, Mona, two daughters, Tara Scully (Dan) and Erin Zurbuchen (Thomas), a son, John B. Roberts (Vicki), seven grandchildren, Lucas, Maria, Jack, Danny, Maurina, Brady, and Lyla, and two step-sons, Julian Pardo de Zela and Erik Doane. He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife Maureen Agnes Roberts, his second wife Patricia Brooks Roberts, his sister Susan Roberts Wood, and his brother James Tilton Roberts.
A memorial service will take place on Saturday, November 23rd, 2019 at the William H. Scott Funeral Home at 1100 Greenleaf Ave, Wilmette, Illinois at 10:00 am. Interment of ashes will follow at Memorial Park in Skokie. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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