Shelley Elizabeth Roberts

Shelley Elizabeth Roberts was a modest woman, quiet and observant in her ways. She was trustworthy and traditional in her approach to her life and in her relationships. She was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew her. She was also a woman who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything she undertook. Realistic about life, she was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Shelley was born on October 14, 1960 at Lewis Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were Gwendolyn and Marvin Roberts. Shelley was raised in Chicago, Illinois. She was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve her well throughout her life.

Growing up in the Roberts household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Shelley was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and she was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Shelley was raised with three siblings. She had one older brother, Marvin, one older sister, Sheila and one younger brother, Mark. Shelley was constantly involved in activities with her brothers and sisters. Shelley and her siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Shelley was always consistently loyal to her family.

As a young child, Shelley was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. She wasn’t pushy and never forced her way into games or other activities. Shelley developed a variety of interests, though, and the things she enjoyed doing she did well. She was always curious about the world around her and was often eager to explore it. Shelley took part in volleyball, softball, kickball and karem. In her spare time she liked gymnastics. Shelley's memorable achievements included competing in gymnastics. However, what Shelley enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with her many friends.

While her teachers and even her friends generally thought of Shelley as being a serious person, she managed to have a pretty good time in high school as she made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. She graduated from Bowen High School in 1978. She enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Her favorite class in high school was English. The teacher she enjoyed learning from the most was Mrs. Harris. Shelley was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using her exceptional memory, she was able to learn much through observation. Shelley always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though she could easily master any problem that might be presented to her.

College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Shelley handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Shelley was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete her class work. She seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down her classmates. Shelley was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed her fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Shelley well during her college experience. She attended Northwest College earning her Pharmacy Tech. Her favorite courses were Chemistry.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Shelley was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during her life. Since she disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw her own conclusions based on direct observation, Shelley was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew her. She was committed to her friends and valued the trust she placed in them. It was not uncommon for Shelley to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought her out for advice because she had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. Later in life, she became friends with Cheryl Sims and Laverla Jett.

Shelley was blessed with one child, one son, Jordon Wyatt Salley.

Shelley greatly enjoyed what she did for a living. She was a hard worker who expected the same in return from her co-workers. She was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Shelley enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Shelley was excellent at meeting deadlines. She was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. Her primary occupation was administration. She was employed by AT&T. Shelley worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Shelley liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into her hobbies, where she was very methodical in how she organized her activities and categorized things. Since she enjoyed her private time, Shelley always tried to allocate a specific time for working on her hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were reading. Shelley was content to enjoy her hobbies alone but was also willing to share her interests with others.

Shelley found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, she could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. She applauded those who won, and she enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find herself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Shelley played gymnastics. Recreational sports included bowling and working out. She would watch her favorite sporting events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were basketball and football.

Many organizations were grateful to have Shelley as a member, since she always brought with her a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Shelley was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that she was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. She always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, Shelley was a member of the band.

Shelley was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member of the Christian faith. She was a sympathetic woman who valued her beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

Shelley enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since she was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Shelley appeared effortless. She enjoyed researching all of her examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where she traveled, Shelley always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Las Vegas and Chicago.

Shelley was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Her family was rounded out by her Beagle Hound, PePe and her cat Friskie.

When Shelley’s retirement finally arrived in 2006, she was well prepared. She always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things she knew, so she was very confident in planning her retirement. She had begun the process early and had her retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, she found new pleasure in reading and movies. Even in retirement, Shelley continued to stay in touch with her old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. She was active in her new community and felt fulfilled.

Shelley Elizabeth Roberts passed away on December 21, 2010 at Pomona Valley Hospital. She is survived by her son, Jordan and her siblings, Marvin, Sheila and Mark. Services were held at Custer Christiansen Chapel in Covina, California.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Shelley Elizabeth Roberts. She was committed to living the life of a good woman who was both practical and trustworthy. She was committed to the traditional values that she upheld her entire life. She committed herself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around her. Most of all, she was committed to those she knew and loved.