James Napeoleon Bonaparte Roberson IV, known to all as “Coot,” was born on July 30, 1940, to James Napeoleon Bonaparte Roberson III and Alberta D. Roberson in Yuma, Arizona. He was the second of five children and the only son.
James attended G.W. Carver Elementary School, Mary Elizabeth, Fourth Avenue Junior High, and graduated from Yuma Union High School in 1959. Coot began to work in agriculture soon after graduation and later landed a job with Mellon Farms, where he continued employment for 6O years.
Coot had a passion for riding horses, roping, and farming. After years of traveling summers to work in agriculture, James met and married Judy Johnson and to this union two children were born. James Napeoleon Bonaparte V. and Tara LaVern Asley James(Coot) continued to work until his retirement with Mellon Farms in 2018. James was a member of the Yuma County Sheriff Posse for 35 plus years and continued to rope and ride until he became ill in 2005. His love for this sport was never ending, he continued to attend ropings throughout Arizona even though he was not a participant…
Coot will always be a LEGEND.
In the 1990’s, James accepted the Lord and became a member of the Family of Faith Church in Yuma, Arizona. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. He was preceded in death by both parents James Napeoleon Bonaparte Roberson III and Alberta D. Roberson and his sister Bobby Jean Howard (Riverside, CA).
He leaves to cherish his memories three sisters; Rita Frazier (San Diego, CA), Maxine Primus (Atlanta, GA) and Sharon Tillman (Stockton, CA); his beloved wife Judi, his only son James Napeoleon Bonaparte Roberson V (Yuma, AZ), three daughters; Constance Perry (Tucson, AZ), Sylvia Roberson (Phoenix, AZ), and his Toot-Toot Tara LaVern Roberson (Yuma, AZ); three grandchildren LaQuida Russell (Las Vegas, NV), Kali Rae Hash (Yuma, AZ), and Gage Marshall (Yuma, AZ), and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
